Brought to you by Shababek for Contemporary Art and the Eltiqa Art Gallery in Gaza
In past wars and throughout the years of siege and blockade, Palestinian artists in Gaza have painted their works with funeral shrouds as canvases. During a genocide, and the absurd imposition of parallel social conventions and the warping of all established meaning and common sense that comprise it, shrouds turn to canvases; as for the frames of surviving paintings, they are dismantled to light a fire to warm bodies saturated by the cruel cold, or to prepare food to dull the sting of hunger.
This is Not an Exhibition, and certainly not a traditional one neatly displaying specific artworks by their artists. That is beyond our capabilities now; no one can do so, as basic communication with Gazan artists is almost impossible. They, like everyone else in the Gaza Strip, are resisting annihilation in a genocidal war. For months, they have been suffering the misery of displacement, hunger, and cold. They left their homes and studios behind, either destroyed or their destruction imminent, and have consigned their artworks to flames, shelling, and death. As for those who live outside Gaza, their hearts are being torn apart by the agony and martyrdom of their families, our families, and their fates. These considerations have made the mere mention of art seem a luxurious disconnection from reality, and consequently has made it seem preposterous to even think about creating a conventional exhibition.
As the machine of killing and destruction continues to transform the urban and natural landscape in the Gaza Strip into endless grey masses, acting as a black hole devouring all colour and detail, minuscule and profound alike, and where death is hunting down all iterations of life, this exhibition and its artworks from homes in the West Bank stands as a powerful witness to the indomitable spirit of Gaza. In the last decades, the Strip has seen increasingly brutal war after war and an oppressive siege, but each time it has risen again.
All this time, art in Gaza has not been merely a testament to the harshness of reality, but in essence, is the manifestation of human existence. Gaza’s art thus defies the ugly cruelty of the occupation that is meant to dehumanize.
Participating Artists: These artists have either had their works, memories, loved ones or lives stolen by the Genocide.
The martyr Fuad Khammash, The martyr Shahd Nafith, The martyr Mohammed Sami, The martyr Heba Zaqout, The martyr Fathi Ghaben, Dalia Abdalrahman, Shereen Abedalkareem, Mariam Abuhajar, Mohamed Abusal, Batool Adwan, Ali Alsheikh Ahmad, Farah Ahmad, Jumana Abu Al Aish, Abdel Raouf Al Ajouri, Bassel Aklouk, May Al Aklouq, Esraa Alashqar, Rehaf Al Batniji, Mohammed Al-Dabous, Mohammed Al-dairi, Nida’ Al-Dairi, Maha al-Daya, Tamer Al-Deeb, Mahmoud Alhaj, Mohammed Alhaj, Mohammed Al-Hawajri, Fatima Al-Houbi, Ruqayya Al-Lulu, Mohammed Almadhoun, Kamel Al-Mughni, Ibrahim al-Muzayyen, Raed Al-Nabris, Amal Al-Nakhala, Mohammad Al-Samhouri, Mai Alshaer, Jehad Al-Sharafi, Wael Alsousi, Adel Al Tawil, Shadi Alzaqzouq, Abdel Nasser Amer, Moayed Abu Ammouna, Rana Anani, Salem Awad, Baraa Awoor, Tayseer Barakat, Maysaa Khaled Al Bardaweal, Maisara Baroud, Taysir Batniji, Rana Batrawi, Shehda Dorgham, Mohamad Elfarra, Sameer El-Hallaq, Mohammed Elmashhrawi, Mohammed Emrani, Ayman Essa, Amal al Ghasin, Naghm Al Ghasin, Nabil Abu Ghneimeh, Hazem Harb, Mohammad Harb, Fayez Hasany, Shaima Hassanein, Moeen Hassouna, Suzen Helmi, Soliman Hijji, Bashar Idkaidek, Raed Issa, Ali Jadallah, Mohammed Jahlash, Haifa’ Abu Jarad, Khaled Jarada, Jihad Jarbou, Mohammed Joha, Ismail Kalloub, Hamada El Kept, Ziad Khalaf, Adam Maghari, Basel El Maqousi, Amer Abu Matar, Dina Mattar, Malak Mattar, Kamel Al Moghani, May Murad, Mohammed Musallam, Bayan Abu Nahla, Motaz Naim, Maher Naji, Marwan Nassar, Arab and Tarzan Nasser-Ahmad and Mohammad Abu Nasser, Majdal Nateel, Salman Nawati, Fatma Abu Owda, Abd al-Rahman al-Muzayen, PhD, Sager Al Qatil, Sobhi Qouta, Dorgham Qreaiqea, Shafik Radwan, Juwana Rafeedie, Mohammad Abu Saada, Ahmed Saadoun, Iyad Sabbah, Mariam Salah, Sohail Salem, Awatef Saqqa, Shareef Sarhan, Ashraf Sehwail, Rufaida Sehwail, Fayez Sersawi, Majed Shala, Aya Shaqalean, Laila Shawa, Fahd Shehab, Jasem Shuman, Bashir Sinwar, Mohammad Abu Sitta, Mohanad A.Smama, Khaled Al Suaidani, Maysaa Yousef, Nuheil Zaydiyyeh, Hani Zurob.
The Palestinian Museum extends its sincere gratitude to its exhibition partners:
A M Qattan Foundation, Abdulhadi Yaish, Abed Yaish, Ahed Izhiman, Alaa Salameh, Al-salam Gallery, Amani Harhash, Amjad Ghannam, An-Najah National University, Ayah Al Aklouk, Bab IdDeir Art Gallery , Bank of Palestine, Bethlehem Gate Gallery, Birzeit University Museum, Chris Whitman – Abdelkarim, Dar Al-Kalima University, Dar Qandeel for Arts and Culture, Diaa Jubeh, Essa Grayeb, Fadia Salfiti, Galeries Lafayette, Gallery One Palestine, George Al-Ama, Ghadeer Dajani, Inas Deeb, Khaled Farraj, Khaled Juma, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center, Lana Abu-hijleh, Levantine Gallery, Maha Abu Shousheh, Mahmoud Abu Hashhash, Maysoun Sharqawi, Mohammad Al-Samhouri, Nasser Abdul Hadi, Nisreen Naffa, Ola Salama, Palestine Development and Investment Ltd. (PADICO), Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Palestinian Art Court – al Hoash, Raed Saadeh, Riwaq- Centre for Architectural Conservation, Rula Alami, Salim Hodali, Samar abu Shusheh, Sameh Abboushi, Samir Hulileh, Shukri Farouji, Sufian Msha'sha, Suleiman Malihat, Tamer Institute for Community Education, Tayseer Barakat, United Nations Development Programme, Wafa’ Abdel Rahman, Yara Odeh, Yvette and Mazen Qupty, Zawyeh Gallery, Ameed Hamed Al-Hussein (Al Ratrout).
