There were some types of sanctions that happen in the public world that made my work acceptable, where someone looks at the paintings and they don't - they may go, "okay," and then look at it in a different sort of way. Instead of just looking at it as some type of wild art, they look at it in a historical perspective or context.

The movie [Miral] is not pro-Palestinian. It's about Palestinians. It's a Palestinian story, written by a Palestinian person. I don't know anybody else that could have done that

I think, basically, I'm an abstract artist. I just think that that's not even an issue. I think everything's abstract.

You seem to make different concessions with yourself about what you want to focus on or not, and what you want to pay attention to.

I think that truth is stranger than fiction, and it's nice to know the people you're making a movie about.

It's nice to see your name in print. It's interesting.

I like when people get really close to the paintings, when they can't really get away from them, I like them to operate in that way on the viewer.