Friday 7 December – Friday 28 December 2012 Private View: Thursday 6 December, 6.30pm – 8pm
Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London www.richmix.org.uk
www.artscanteen.com
East London’s Rich Mix gallery space will host ‘Despite’, a striking exhibition of work by sixteen Palestinian artists living both in Palestine and the diaspora. Despite the conflict, these artists have never stopped flourishing creatively.
Opening on Friday 7th December 2012 the exhibition, co-curated by Aser El Saqqa of Arts Canteen and Nicola Gray, demonstrates that in the space and practice of art, there is an opportunity to overcome, believe in and engage with renewal and regeneration.
The exhibition will be from Friday 7th December until Friday 28th December 2012 with a private view from 6.30pm to 8pm on Thursday 6th December 2012.
Participating artists are: Nidal Abu Oun, Mohamed Abusal, Jawad Al Malhi, Mohamed Al Hawajri, Nabil Anani, Tayseer Barakat, Rana Bishara, Mohammed Joha, Raed Issa, Mohammed Musalam, Dina Mattar, Rima Muzayan, Hosni Radwan, Majed Shala, Shareef Sarhan and Hani Zurob.
Hani Zurob, participating artist, said:
“This is a unique opportunity for me. It is my debut in London and the first time to participate in a collective exhibition with my contemporaries and peers from within and outside Palestine.”
Co-curator Nicola Gray writes that:
“‘Despite’ explores the juxtaposition of our ‘real’ structured environments with the artistic imagination, drawing on bleak images of humiliation and restricted movement alongside sheer visible enjoyment in the colour, light and matter of the world we share. It challenges preconceptions and, we hope, will inspire curiosity and further exploration.”
Arts Canteen
Arts Canteen is a London based cultural venture. Its aim is to build artistic relationships between the Arab world and Europe. It provides platforms for emerging and mid-career artists who create exciting contemporary visual art and music.
