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A GROUP of artists from Bahrain is staging a colourful charity campaign to raise funds for Palestinians.
The Art for Palestine event, which ends tomorrow, features paintings and pieces from 29 artists from different backgrounds. It’s being showcased at Akkas Gallery, a creative space in Saar.
“Our message is that Palestine lives deep in our hearts and will never be forgotten,” said exhibition organiser and participating painter Nasreen Alawadhi. “We will support Palestinians by donating all the proceeds from the sale of our artworks to help them regain their freedom and live in peace and prosperity.”
The donations will be made to Bait Al Maqdis Society in Bahrain, a cultural charity group doing humanitarian work for the Palestinian cause, in particular for those at the West Bank – through fundraising and awareness projects.
Aside from Nasreen, the other artists include Dr Ibrahim Shareef, Salwa Al Qaed, Safa Abdulraziq, Samia Khunji, Farida Darwish, Mona Al Aradi, Zeenat Almohandes, Nahid AlBastaki, Ali Ahmadi, Shaheera Zainal, Huda Taref, Hawra Zahi, Mashail Al Atishaan, Atifa Zainal, Jess Ramos Tejada, Jihad Albinfalah, Fatima Nabi, Mai AlKaabi, Sara Abdulrazaq Madan, Huda Al Saie, Foziya Garib, Hayat Adham, Dalal Al Azi Qasi, Huda Khunji, Sharifa Yateem as well as Lamia Al Saie, Faten Odeh and Rula Abujaber.
Palestinian-Jordanian Faten, a visual artist who uses oil, acrylic and pastel paint, was thrilled to be a part of it. Her impressionist piece is inspired by Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
“The mosque is an important religious landmark in Palestine and a symbol of resistance for us,” explained Faten. “I have worked on many other paintings about Palestine, all of which are for sale. I love these pieces because they are optimistic and capture the pride and resilience of Palestinians.
“The idea of this exhibition came about after the news on Sheikh Jarrah made headlines.”
Sheikh Jarrah is a Palestinian neighbourhood in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, close to the Old City and its holy sites. There has been a long-running dispute over who owns land in the area, which has seen Jewish settler groups pursue evictions against Palestinians and it has been a regular source of tension across East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.
The evictions triggered an 11-day war in May between Israel and Palestine, which resulted in the hashtag ‘SaveSheikhJarrah’ gaining momentum worldwide.
“This exhibition means a lot to me and it was great to see a lot of people supporting our families in the West Bank,” added Faten.
Jordanian Rula has displayed a painting which, she hopes, would make a difference.
“I have Palestinian origins and I believe the people in Palestine deserve to live a better life,” said Rula, a mother-of-two from Saar.
“Sharing our art with others is sometimes a way to open opportunities for the basic things in life that most of us take for granted. I was impressed with the quality of artwork presented and I hope more people hear about this exhibition because, it has a lot to offer and it is for a good cause.”
Rula strives to use bright colours in her artwork to represent happiness, light and prosperity.
It was Palestinian painter Suleiman Mansour’s work - of people working on the land in their traditional attire – that inspired her to create the piece.
“I used acrylic colours inspired by his work to portray traditional Palestinian folklore and highlight their hope for peace,” added Rula.
Bahraini Lamia, who has promoted messages of peace, hope and joy through her artwork at various exhibitions in the past, also painted Al-Aqsa Mosque and her artwork was snapped up during the official opening.
The exhibition is open from 10am to 6pm.
For details, follow @lamiaalsaie.art, @Rulaaj_art, @Artodeh and @nasreenartt on Instagram.
