Unique HeART of Gaza exhibition coming to Enniscrone
Mohammed Timraz in central Gaza, with local children who have contributed to the HeART of Gaza art exhibition.
What started as a WhatsApp exchange between friends, Féile Butler in Sligo and Mohammed Timraz in central Gaza, is fast turning into a global phenomenon. Children from both families were swapping art until one particular image stopped Féile in her tracks. 7-year old Shahed had drawn a tank firing on a stick family trapped inside their home, their pet cat bleeding outside.
Féile knew instantly that this intimate insight into the horror experienced by the most vulnerable, the most impacted and the most voiceless in this genocide had to be shared. She contacted Mohammed immediately with the idea of hosting an exhibition. The very real threat of imminent death is one hell of a motivator.
It took only four weeks from that first text to HeART of Gaza’s debut show in early July; 55 framed pieces by 14 Palestinian artists aged 3 to 17 years, in The Weir Gallery, Sligo.
All of the featured children have been displaced, many of their homes reduced to rubble. Two of the artists, aged 13 and 9, were murdered by an Israeli strike. Another has lost his father. Bios and statements by the kids accompany their artwork. The effect is profound.
The success of that first show garnered an invitation to exhibit at Electric Picnic, as well as attracting international attention. In August, the artworks debuted in Montpellier while September will see London, Chicago, Turin and Bologna hosting the exhibition. Just last Tuesday, September 10, UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Territories, Francesca Albanese, spoke at the HeART of Gaza event in Rome. Other UK, European and US cities are in the pipeline.
HeART of Gaza returns to Sligo, opening at 6pm in Abhainn Studio, Enniscrone, this Friday, September 20 (Culture Night). It will run over two weekends before heading on tour around Ireland. This third outing will include the artwork of 10 additional children, as well as previously exhibited and new art by the original 14.
Attendees are encouraged to create their own artwork (all materials provided) in response to HeART of Gaza, with more than 40 paintings, drawings and messages of hope and support already sent back to Mohammed. He and the children are incredibly touched and bolstered by the solidarity from the Irish audience.
Entry is free. Donations are encouraged to ‘We Are Not Alone’, a grass roots community campaign led by Mohammed Timraz.
