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The fifth edition of the “Ramallah Art Fair” opened on Saturday at Zawyeh Gallery in the occupied West Bank under the theme “Narratives Under Occupation."
It features 42 Palestinian and Syrian visual artists.
In a statement, the organizers said the fifth edition reflects “the current Palestinian reality after over two years of genocide in Gaza” through 150 works by a group of Palestinian and Syrian artists from the occupied Golan.
The exhibition is set to run until March 29.
Zawyeh Gallery’s statement said this edition presents 150 artworks.
Through contributions by 41 artists, the exhibition explores themes of displacement, loss, identity, memory, and everyday life under occupation.
The works also raise motifs that embody visions of a free future. Resistance and steadfastness are among the central themes addressed by the artists in their artistic production this year.
The exhibition’s organizers divided the paintings into two main sections: a contemporary art section and a rare works section, in an attempt to bring the artists’ latest productions together within a single context, alongside a “corner for rare works,” as the gallery director said during the opening.
The exhibition allows visitors to view a wide range of works by Palestinian artists from different generations. These include Nabil Anani, Suleiman Mansour, Vera Tamari and Taysir Barakat. It also features works by emerging artists, some participating in art exhibitions for the first time.
“The exhibition is an opportunity for anyone who loves to see the latest works produced by the participating Palestinian artists over the past year,” Zawyeh Gallery director Yousef Hussein said.
He explained that the exhibition received participation requests from 70 artists, but the limited space led to the selection of works by only 42 artists.
In the rare works section, the exhibition showcases a piece by the late Syrian artist Burhan Karkoutly (1932-2003): an ink drawing produced using lithographic printing on paper, dating to 1995.
The exhibition statement said it features unusual colors and depicts men, women and animals within a folk-life setting, surrounded by finely detailed decorative motifs.
The section also includes a “rare edition” of a work by artist Juliana Seraphim (1934-2005), an engraving from 1970 focused on themes of home, memory, identity and women.
It also displays a colored work (watercolors and gold leaf on paper) by Vladimir Tamari (1942-2017), dated 2005, alongside a rare work by Laila Shawa depicting a vase of lilies.
The statement added that artist Shafiq Radwan is featured in this section after losing all his works when his home was destroyed in Gaza in recent months.
In the contemporary art section, Maisara Baroud from Gaza is presenting original works from his series “I Am Still Alive,” described as “daily diaries portraying life amid what the exhibition statement called an ongoing genocide through the artist’s eye.”
Sari Terzi is participating in a series of composite images taken during street protests across Palestinian cities against what the statement described as genocide in Gaza over the past two years.
Meanwhile, Bashar Khalaf is presenting new works addressing the major fire that broke out at the Ramallah central market (Hisbeh Ramallah) following an Israeli military incursion and the firing of tear gas canisters that turned the market to ash.
Enas Yassin is taking part with two works titled “One Hundred Oranges from Jaffa” and “Mohammad’s Return Home.”
The statement said she dedicated her work to artist Mohammad Al-Haj, who lives in Gaza and lost his works under the rubble.
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