As we draw closer to the new year we’ve asked a very special guest every day to take a moment to reflect on 2018 and to tell us about one photograph that best captures the year for them. It’s a box of treats to surprise you with every day – and conjure our hopes and wishes for 2019. This is our way of sharing the sweetness of the season and of saying ‘Thank You’ to you for inspiring us throughout the year.

Today’s special guest:

Doug Gillen, London-based Street Art scene documentor, commentator, lecturer, entertainer and host of his own program Fifth Wall TV (fifthwalltv.com).

The photo I’ve chosen is not street art but carries the composition, detail and expression of a renaissance painting and for me is unquestionably a piece of art. During intense clashes between the protestors of Gaza and the Israeli Defense Forces Mustafa Hassouna’s image of a shirtless man encapsulates the passion and weight of the fight they face on an almost daily basis.

The protestor, Abu Amro, takes his flag to the front line of the protests Monday to Friday every week, facing an opposition that is heavily armed, protected and extremely well funded. In the face of insurmountable odds he continues to stand his ground and fight. I believe in the face of the authoritarianism and bigotry that has ripped through the West this stands as a reminder that as we fight to make the world a better place, we do it knowing that we are not alone.

Location – Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Date – 22 October, 2018

Photographer – Mustafa Hassouna (copyright)