A group art exhibition is hosted by Palestinian gallery “Zawyeh” in Dubai until May 14. Six artists, Dia Mrad, Bashir Qonqar, Nabil Anani, Bashar Alhroub, Ruba Salameh, and Yazan Abu Salameh, participate in the exhibition, entitled “Entangled Existence.”
Five of the artists are Palestinian and one is Lebanese. Their works on display come with a variety of styles and backgrounds.
Zawyeh Gallery Director Ziad Anani explained that this collective exhibition has a specific goal, which is to introduce the region’s artists to Emirati audiences.
There are topics that are recurrent in the hearts and minds of plastic artists, no matter how varied their methods and artistic experiences. This is the case of Arab plastic artists, especially those coming from the Middle East, where calamities and tragedies are intertwined with hopes and dreams.
Despite everything else, the artistic and visual works are filled with aesthetics that crises cannot stifle and illuminations that cannot be extinguished.
Some of the works on display, especially those of Palestinian artist Ruba Salameh, demonstrate much austerity in outlines and colors but do not depart from the logic of questioning the relationship that binds man to his surroundings. One can see the entanglement between the geometric shapes and the small ants she draws which disrupt the monotonous harmony on the canvas in a rather unexpected way. The artworks bring to mind a similarity with the resilience of an indigenous population whose living space shrinks continuously as a result of incessant expansion by the forces of occupation.
In their works, Bashir Qonqar, Nabil Anani, and Bashar Alhroub depict trees as a source of various artistic visions, replete with different emotional charges.