Tuesday, April 2nd | 13:00 - 14:30

Location: The Palestinian Museum and via Zoom

Language: Arabic
 

Join us in a conversation with artist Rana Batrawi about This is Not an Exhibition, a space featuring five of her artworks produced in recent years. Through the perspective of how artistic life has been impacted, the talk addresses the situation on the ground currently amidst the genocidal war being waged on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli occupation. It also sheds light on what the Palestinian artistic movement has lost in light of the ongoing siege and war of what artists have experienced of the death of their loved ones and the eradication of their artworks, studios, and artistic achievements. The conversation also touches on the personal experiences of the artist, starting from the beginning of her artistic journey and the development of her style over time regarding techniques of sculpture and engraving. We will also discuss the significance of the installation Salvage from the Rubble, in which she used rubble from the destruction of buildings in Gaza from the 2021 war as a material to express memories, identity and feelings.
 

About the Artist Rana Batrawi

Born in the year 1983, Batrawi is an artist and art teacher residing in Gaza. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from Al-Aqsa University in Gaza in 2007. Since then, she has developed a magnificent catalogue of works – primarily sculptures and engravings – inspired by the rich cultural and archaeological heritage of Gaza. Batrawi currently holds the position of Director of the Dar al-Kalima Center for Training in Gaza and works as a teaching assistant in the College of Fine Arts at Al-Aqsa University. She is also a member of the jury for the Ismail Shammout Award for Fine Art granted by the Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem. Batrawi has conducted numerous sculpture workshops with support from the Palestinian Cultural Fund and the A.M. Qattan Foundation. She is a committed volunteer and her artworks are featured in numerous exhibitions.
 

About the Artist Hamada Maddah

Maddah was born in 1980 in the village of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. He earned his BA in Fine Arts majoring in sculpture from Damascus University in Syria in 2006 and is a founding member of the Fateh Al-Modarres Center for Arts and Culture. Maddah is currently undertaking a master's degree in contemporary art at Dar al-Kalima University of Arts in Bethlehem and is a sculpture teacher at the Faculty of Art, Design and Music at Birzeit University in Palestine. He also works as a trainer in Art and Sculpture in different artistic and cultural centres in Palestine and the Golan, including Fateh Al-Modarres Center for Arts and Culture in the Golan, The Palestinian Art Court-Al Hoash, A.M. Qattan Foundation, the Khalil Sakakini and the Palestinian Museum.

Born in the village of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan in 1980. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, specializing in sculpture, from Damascus University, Syria, in 2006. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree from Dar Al-Kalima University for Arts in Bethlehem. Madah works as a sculpture teacher at the College of Arts for Design and Music at Birzeit University, and as a trainer in the field of visual arts and sculpture in several artistic and cultural centres in Palestine and the Golan, including Fateh Al-Modarres Center for Arts and Culture in the Golan, Palestinian Art Court - Al Hoash, A M Qattan Foundation, the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center, and the Palestinian Museum.

Talk link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84218040878?pwd=NQpcfEexvSaA7YVOi004yWUotCsITl.1

*Rana Batrawi, Fruit of the Sea. Mixed materials on mesh, 42 x 31 cm.
The Palestinian Museum Permanent Collection, on permanent loan from Barjeel Art Foundation