Zahi Khamis is a Palestinian visual artist from the village of Reineh near Nazareth, now based in Baltimore, Maryland. A self-taught painter with a background in Mathematics and Literary Theory, Zahi is also a professor at Goucher College. His art is defined by vibrant colors and delicate, poetic human figures, reflecting his deep connection to the Palestinian experience and his life in exile. Drawing from the realities and aspirations of his people, as well as his own journey, Khamis explores themes of identity, memory, loss, love, yearning, and hope. Each piece emerges from a patient, meditative process, rooted in his personal and collective narrative.
Zahi’s work has been exhibited widely across the United States, including solo and juried group shows at prestigious venues such as the United Nations, the U.S. Senate, The Palestine Center in Washington, D.C., and the Carnegie Institute for Peace. His art has also graced the covers of novels and musical albums and has been featured in international journals. Through his vibrant palette and poignant imagery, Zahi seeks to affirm human beauty and evoke a sense of belonging and solidarity—not only with Palestinians but with all oppressed peoples.
Born and raised in Reineh, Zahi emigrated to Europe and later to California in the early 1980s. He earned a BA in Mathematics from San Diego State University, studied literature and philosophy at San Francisco State University, and holds an MA in Liberal Arts from Loyola University. For decades, Zahi has been creating and exhibiting art that is deeply informed by the Palestinian narrative and his own experiences of exile. His work, part of the enduring tradition of committed art, juxtaposes bright, optimistic colors with the tragic expressions of his subjects, capturing the luminous yet painful contradictions of those striving for liberation.