Amman celebrates Gaza artists by introducing “This is also Gaza” Festival for visual arts
By Iqbal Tamimi
Alhoush artistic project is organising a momentous celebration of Palestinian artist’s visual arts. Their new exhibition about how they see Gaza, is going to cross all boundaries since it will display their works online to overcome the barriers the artists suffer to get their work through to the international community.
{jcomments on}Alhoush will be promoting the Gaza artists’ works, aiming at introducing them to interested parties that might want to buy their works and help in supporting many families living under the siege.
The name of the project, Alhoush, is a slang word used in Jordan and Palestine which means the little yard that belongs to one’s home. It used to be part of every Palestinian home, where people can keep some of their belongings, hang the washing line, plant flowers and herbs, dry fruits, vegetables and grains after the harvest season, arrange a seating area to receive visitors or enjoy the surrounding, greet the passing by since one’s ‘Housh’ does not isolate him from seeing the neighbours, people selling little things and also to keep an eye on the kids while playing between the houses of the neighbourhood.
Alhoush. Com, is a leading portal for art in the world of social networking and e-commerce. It was created to showcase and market the works of artists and designers from all over the Arab world.
The on line project of Alhoush is celebrating Gaza through “This is also Gaza” Festival exhibition, in joint partnership with the 612 Ideas Lab that organised last year the ” Karama For Human Rights Films in Jordan”, between September 30 – October 5 in the city of Amman. Karama is an Arabic word for ‘Dignity’.
This year’s festival seeks to provide a combination of a fertile blend of the visual arts movement and other creative trends in the Gaza Strip, by showcasing the works of various artists working in filming, painting, photography, video art, posters designing, and music, as well as organising discussions spread over the six days along with performances and various programs at Ras Al Ain Gallery in the city of Amman and Al-shrafieh socio-cultural complex, in partnership and cooperation with the Greater Amman Municipality.
The Project Coordinator, Zein Rusheidat, wrote to Journomania.com, ‘”This is also Gaza” is a celebration of Gaza, which suffered a monopolized Lenses that has been shooting scenes of war, occupation, fighting and suffering for decades. We aim to show Gaza through the eyes of its contemporary artists who are defying those stereotypes, dedicated to excessive politicization. We aim to highlight the vitality of the cultural movement in Gaza and its relationship with the Arab world and the international community’.
Rushedidat added ‘ Gaza has its own stories of joy that has been hijacked by the occupation, murder, destruction, the siege and the on-going human suffering. Gaza has its own glowing spirit capable of brilliant creativity that has prevailed despite the injustice, harassment and the siege that it has endured for decades and still is’.
The Poster designing competition has inspired more than 100 participants in less than 3 weeks and received more than 2,500 votes. The winner will receive an iPad 3.
