Yousef Barqawi is a Palestinian artist who was born in Kuwait City. Now in St. Louis, Missouri. His art derives from the experience of living in both the Gulf and the American Midwest. He works with photography and graphic design, among other artistic mediums, using the city around him as a site for creating all of these types of artwork. Within photography, he pays special attention to the way that daily activities can create unique situations. Barqawi emphasizes the use of intense color and strong contrast, combining areas with opposing colors to create tension with those in the background He also often creates visually intense pieces of art by concentrating on using either natural or artificial light as part of his art. In other work, whether created digitally or printed, Barqawi views color as a language that communicates feelings/memories, creates visual compositions, and uses photographs that combine graphic elements