A group of 40 Bahraini and international artists will come together to spotlight the Palestinian cause at the ‘River Two Seas’ exhibition opening on Wednesday.
Amana Creative Collective, a community-based platform raising awareness on humanitarian causes by fostering creative arts, received more than 50 applications, which they carefully curated for the display, being showcased at The Collective Hub, Yateem Centre.
Artists across nationalities, including from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Palestine, the UK, India and China, based mostly in the kingdom, will unite and represent diverse voices for Gaza.
The objectives of the art show, in terms of topics addressed and the creative message, include to narrate stories from Gaza, to express solidarity with the cause, and to offer hope of a ‘free Palestine’ through art.
Part of the three-piece collaboration featuring seaside images from Bahrain and Gaza
“This is the first exhibition to be launched by Amana Creative Collective in our ongoing journey to illuminate the cause for a free Palestine and the importance of social justice as a global goal,” Amana co-founder, and educator and writer Fatima Al Saad, 40, told the GDN.
“The artworks that we are showcasing narrate specific stories about the people of Gaza, honouring survivors and martyrs, through art. They aim to eliminate the ‘otherness’ as we are all one nation of the world – what harms one part harms us all. The exhibition’s theme imagines a free Palestine and what it would look like after liberation,” she added.
Amana Creative Collective was founded by Bahrainis Maryam Abdulla, Ms Al Saad, Maha Al Sahhaf and Tamadher Al Fahal and Palestinian-Saudi Ramah Al Husseini earlier this year.
From left, Ms Al Saad, Ms Al Fahal, Ms Al Sahhaf, Ms Al Husseini and Ms Abdulla
One of the displays at ‘River Two Seas’ is a collaboration between Gazan photojournalist Saher Al Ghorrah, Bahraini photographer Mustafa Abdul Hadi, and interior design consultant and Amana co-founder Ms Abdulla, who is the conceptual designer of this particular piece, featuring seaside images from Gaza merged with seaside images from Bahrain.
“I collected these images while focusing on a distinctive characteristic that connects Bahrainis to Gazans – our bond to the sea – something that is deep within our core as humans,” Ms Abdulla revealed, adding that the collective body of work exhibits the simple joy of being alive, something we all share and strive for.”
The sea being a common factor also reflects in the title of the exhibition – ‘River Two Seas’ is an amalgamation of the political phrase ‘From the river to the sea’ and Bahrain, which translates to ‘two seas’.
Palestinian artist based in Bahrain, Mohamed Sheat, blends his design skills and artistic flair to create a perfume bottle, with a strong visual impact for his piece ‘Free Gaza’. Speaking about his artwork, the creative head of HOI ID interior design studio and alumni of St Martin’s College of Art and Design in London, said, “The lid is the profile of a missile leading to the destruction of a beautiful building, ending in rubble. The idea behind it is to release and free the ‘essence of Gaza’.”
‘Free Gaza’ by Mr Sheat
Saudi artist Hafsa Alkhudairi, who is also a writer and researcher, will visit the kingdom to join the showcase with a Postcards installation. The holder of a Master’s degree in contemporary literature and culture from Birkbeck College, London University has been designing double-sided postcards with quotes connected to heart-breaking memories from the past seven months since the war began in Palestine.
“The artwork is meant to be a love letter to the people who are struggling and the different moments that will forever be engraved in the collective memories of those who have witnessed the whole ordeal virtually,” she noted.
Amana will take Ms Alkhudairi’s concept further with creative workshops for other artists to collaborate and expand the installation, as it travels across art societies in the Gulf region. A live performance evening, as a way of spreading the conversation on the Palestinian cause and immersing the community in peaceful social activism, is also on the cards, on the sidelines of the exhibition.
‘River Two Seas’ will be open for public viewing for two weeks from the launch. All proceeds will be donated to The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children’s Foundation, which provides medical attention to children in war-torn Gaza.
- For more details, follow @we.are.amana on Instagram.
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