Relief Residency: Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah for “Liberation Medicine”

“The idea of repair of the wound is then a falsehood, we tell ourselves because we need to hold onto this idea that war is temporary. But actually, war is not temporary. War changes the biospheres of people’s lives, their social, economic, and biological lives. And so, repairing a wound allows people to get on with their daily lives, to minimize the damage of what was done to them. But there is no full repair. Repair in these injuries is a kind of rebirth.” — Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, BETWEEN US: CURATING IN / ON / AROUND CRISES

During times of war, crisis, and collective despair, we remain committed to sustain the individuals who continue to act within, and against conditions of violence. It is within this commitment that we hosted Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a hero whose work continues to shape how we understand care in times of violence, as part of a month-long writing residency in Brazil between September and November of 2025. in collaboration with local donors and philanthropists. The residency sought to carve out a way for Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah to reflect on his 40 years of commitment as a leading specialist and multi-award-winning war surgeon across Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen for his upcoming book “Liberation Medicine” to be published by Penguin Books, and brings to light dense histories and encounters that cannot be encompassed within a singular narrative.

During his time amidst Brazil’s rich culture and landscapes, the residency opened up a space in which different forms of knowledge could circulate, and brought into perspective the different experiences of crisis, displacement, and survival as well as what it means to care during these times of urgency. The residency was filled with conversations that extended beyond the written word connecting artistic, humanitarian, and civic practices, anchored in the ethical position that care must persist even in the most dehumanizing circumstances and the conditions that render these acts difficult.