By Gauze by Hazem Harb at Tabari Art Space, Dubai
Palestinian artist Hazem Harb lives in Dubai, but his mind and soul, is forever intertwined with his homeland. His most recent social media post, is an urgent appeal to release, his father and nephew, abducted in Northern Gaza. As someone who has been witnessing the war raging in his home where most of his family members reside, his solo exhibition Gauze at Tabari Art Space, Dubai is an outpouring of disturbed emotions meshed with nostalgia. The exhibition curated by Munira Al Sayegh at DIFC Dubai that runs till February 15th 2024, uses the material gauze to create a series of artistic ethereal frames symbolizing the wrapping of Palestinian children’s corpses in Gaza.
Gauze has a powerful significance here, as it originated in Palestine, historically used in ancient and modern medicine, woven by Palestinian women. Taking it as a metaphor, the artist invites viewers to explore the profound connections between the material, the body, the context and the artist’s personal journey as a Gazan native in exile.
Also on view at the exhibition are a series of large-scale figurative charcoal sketches from the artist’s 2023 series, Dystopia is not a Noun, along with two circular acrylic collages — Watermelon I and II, restored from an image of the melon from a 1917 fresco found in a home in Nazareth.
Inside the gallery’s main space, a print of the great Omari Mosque, (now destroyed by bombardment), serves as the backdrop to Harb’s art. Yet another wall holds together beloved memorabilia in the form of a big black and white blow up of his mother’s birthday celebration from her younger days. Chronicling memories, emotions and history, the exhibition is a poignant visual dialogue of the artist’s revered homeland.
For exhibition timings and location visit https://www.tabariartspace.com/