Pictured, four pieces in the middle, metal, wood, and paint, by Sandy, Melt and Vanish into her soil
“I thought about what exactly I want to focus on for this exhibition and what is happening in Gaza. Then I remembered the gruesome images of the not only suffering children, but killed as well. It’s a contradiction, teddy bears shouldn’t be destroyed, they should be played with, cared for. Children should not experience tragedies, they deserve happiness.”
Pictured, top left, Lino print, by Isabella, BDS
“BDS stands for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions international movement working to put pressure on Israel to comply with international law and stop the oppression of Palestinians.
As individuals, there is some limitation in what we can achieve, however, small actions such as checking that the produce you buy is not produced in Israel - aka, in illegally occupied Palestine - is important. Boycotting is an effective way to take action and is powerful when mobilised as a mass scale. So, I urge you to check what you buy, and as consumers to not support products of apartheid! Common produce to check: oranges, dates, avocados, grapes, figs, peppers, passion fruits, all fresh herbs, to name a few.”
Pictured, left, painting, by Naim, Right to be happy
“After exploring various Palestinian poetry anthologies, I wrote down a couple of lines that really stood out to me. After intuitively responding to the words I extracted, I kept thinking of a loss of youth and a loss of childhood at the hand of an inextricably evil force. Working on weathered metal and in a muted colour palette, I wanted to strip back the work to focus on the Palestinian voices that are constantly subdued or silenced. White horses have historically symbolised a saviour in the end of times, or triumph over negative forces and are a symbol that has always stuck with me, so I called upon them to represent my anger, sadness, and hope for a better future. Viewers are welcome to interpret the work however they please.”