A Conversation with Eltiqa & Shababek on the Occasion of their Exhibition "Toward Hope" at the Fourth Qalandiya International, Palestine, by James Scarborough

INTRODUCTION.

The fourth Qalandiya International (QI) will take place from October 3rd - October 30th. Also known as the Palestine Biennial, it’s the largest contemporary art event in Palestine. This year's QI examines the theme of Solidarity. Exhibitions and programs will take place throughout the country. Sites include Jerusalem, Gaza, Ramallah, Al Bireh, Birzeit, and several Palestinian villages. It will feature the work of dozens of Palestinian and international artists (See below). Solidarity-themed events will also occur in New York, Cape Town, and Beijing.

Everything about the QI is significant. Qalandiya refers to a notorious West Bank checkpoint. It also refers to life in pre-Occupation Palestine. Since its founding in 2012, QI has focused more on collectives than individuals. It serves as an act of defiance in response to oppressive and Occupation events. Its aim is two-fold. It encourages public dialogue. These dialogues present an undistorted image of Palestine to the rest of the world. It also allows Palestinians to examine their cultural heritage and its place in world culture.

Qi 2018 is a collaboration between 9 art and cultural organizations:

1. A.M. Qattan Foundation, Ramallah
2. Al Hoash – Palestinian Art Court, Jerusalem
3. Al Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art, Jerusalem
4. Eltiqa Group, Gaza
5. Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center, Ramallah
6. Ramallah Municipality
7. RIWAQ – Center for Architectural Conservation, Al-Bireh
8. Shababek for Contemporary Art, Gaza
9. The Palestinian Museum, Birzeit

Qalandiya International IV in Numbers:

• 9 partners
• 8 exhibitions
• 41 events in Palestine
• 19 events abroad (New York, San Francisco, Olympia (Washington), Cape Town, Doha, Dusseldorf and Swansea)

Below is a conversation with Eltiqa & Shababek  on the occasion of their exhibition, Toward Hope. The show will open Thursday October 4^th,  2018, at Shababek Gallery, Gaza. 

Beyond Hope participating artists:

Abdel Raouf Ajouri, Basel Maqousi, Dina Matar, Hala Abu Nahla, Ibrahim, Al-Oweidi, Khaled Hussein, Maysara Baroud, Majed Shala, Marwan Nassar, Mohammad Abu Hashish, Mohamad Al Hawajri, Nariman Farajallah, Rana Batrawi, Rufeida Suhwail, Ruqaya Aloulu, Suheil Sal.

Other interviewees for this year’s QI will include:

• Fida Touma, the Deputy Director General of the A.M. Qattan Foundation.In cooperation with the Birzeit University Museum, the Foundation has co-curated the exhibition Lydda - A Garden Disremembered

• Reem Shadid and Yazan Khalili, co-curators of the Debt exhibition

• Rachel Dedman, curator of the Labour of Love exhibition

 ..........

Questions translated into/responses translated out of Arabic by Zina Zarour.

JS: Solidarity suggests banding together around shared interests and goals. For this year’s QI, what are those interests and goals? Why are they important now?

E & S: In Gaza, Palestinians have lived several wars three of which were successive. Gaza Strip has lived and is still living under harsh conditions that affect all aspects of life. From this suffering, many real life stories and narrative emerged to show the meaning of solidarity, as well as community and family cohesion. One of these wonderful stories is the following:

When the Israeli army was about to bomb one of the houses in Gaza, a number of people came up with an idea to gather and call people to protest against this action by getting on the roof of the house, hoping to stop the Israeli's from bombing the targeted houses. Despite the fact that the Israeli's aircraft reached the area, and started doing air raids to scare the people, the protestors succeeded in forbidding them to bomb the houses. The people's will was stronger than the occupiers aircraft.

This was an example of solidarity and unity at a certain time, and the people, with their strong wills, were able to achieve what the international organizations that call for peace and human rights could not achieve.

Today we are looking for solidarity in all definitions and with all means. How to achieve solidarity between people in the same country, and at the same time guarantee regional and international solidarity with the Palestinian cause. In addition to creating art practices that make the notion of solidarity clearer to everyone who is still wondering about it.

These are the main goals of the exhibition:

• Explaining the meaning of the social question revolving around “solidarity” for the Palestinian people;
• Focusing on the issue of international solidarity and its importance
• Highlighting the role of visual artists in national and humanitarian causes that reinforce the idea of solidarity;
• Introducing to the international and local community the importance of societal solidarity.

JS: How does Solidarity manifest itself in terms of art. Can Solidarity-informed art lead to concerted action? How?

E & S: The idea of solidarity, especially for us as artists, holds many explanations. That is why we need to create an atmosphere of discussion that enriches the practices of visual arts that influence the meanings of solidarity, what we Palestinians need out of it, and how we can change the prevailing stereotype about it. This can happen through producing exhibitions and joint events that showcase the daily life of Palestinians, with its political and social aspects- the way it really is make it easier to introduce it to the regional and international communities, as well as the local. We need to have solidarity between us as one nation despite the geographical distances.   

JS: How would you trace the evolution of Solidarity with respect to the history of Palestine? Is it a linear evolution? Why or why not?

E & S: The definition of solidarity has been a historical paradox against the colonial powers and structures throughout history. The spirit, practices and definitions of solidarity went through a lot of changes in response to the local context and/or the changing international networks and alliances.

On the other hand, there have been contradictory perspectives about solidarity. This is because, in certain times, solidarity was strongly affiliated to religious and extremist ideologies, and then to global and international manifestations in other period of times. Nevertheless, solidarity preserved a certain national Arab ideology. These practices of solidarity were not the only ones in Palestine. Other definitions and examples changed over history because of the ideological changes, the transformation in cultural and humanitarian norms, and the development of social relations…etc.

JS: How do you define Solidarity? A political strategy? A cultural practice? A religious position? A social manifesto? All of these? Something else?

E & S: Is solidarity an idea or a right? A political strategy? Cultural practice? A religious stance or a social statement? This is a question that me and many others have put on the table in Palestine. What does solidarity mean to us? Is it an idea that we should work on to become a mean of resistance against the occupation and the siege? Or is it our right to have people in all locations standing in solidarity with us? To tell you the truth we are looking for answers, and this is the essence of the work of the participating artists in their contemporary visual artworks, showcased in this exhibition. They might be answering these questions.

JS: Do other societies or cultures face the same challenges that Palestine faces?

E & S: I don’t think so, because Palestinians are the only people in the world who have been under occupation for 70 years. That is why the case is different and huge, and needs great efforts for us to attain liberation and dignity to live like other countries and people in the world.

JS: What are optimal outcomes for Palestinian Solidarity?

E & S: To attain liberation, and living in dignity, which will help us in building a Palestinian society that has the right to move, live in peace and security without the intervention of the occupation that controls every aspect of the Palestinians daily life.

JS: What’s the genesis of the exhibition?

E & S: After many meetings with the steering committee of Qalandiya International, we agreed that Solidarity or the social question is the theme of this year's event. After deep thinking with Eltiqa and Shababek members we agreed on producing and implementing a contemporary exhibition with artworks that are related to the theme, but from the point of view and thought of each participating artist.

JS: What particular issue or gap do you want the show to address?

E & S: The exhibition tackles the of closeness between everyone in order to unify the efforts to guarantee solidarity, especially that the idea of solidarity with the Palestinian cause has been dwindling over the years. Solidarity is very important for Gaza as it has been through three successive wars, living under siege, and going through political fragmentation for more than 12 years. These conditions have affected the social and humanitarian aspects in Gaza. The artist is part of this daily life in Gaza.

JS: You define solidarity as “the struggle for liberation from the successive colonial powers.” Given this year’s Solidarity-themed QI, what was your criteria for the works’ inclusion?

E & S: Each art work should come align with the idea and definition of solidarity in terms of structure, configuration and the materials used in the artwork. The participating works are diverse, for a number of artists, and include drawing, graphics, sculpture, composition and digital printing. These works are related to theme of solidarity from the point of view of each artist.

JS: How does the work in Toward Hope reflect your assertion that solidarity’s “forms and ideological manifestations have changed with different times and geographies.”

E & S: There are so many changes in the definition of international solidarity with the Palestinian people. This has affected the daily-life of people. The artist is the one who tries to change and make the idea closer to the people in order to create a solidarity status through art.

JS: Was the art made specifically for the show or did it pre-exist? Or both?

E & S: A: A big part of the participating artworks has been produced specifically for the exhibition. We did not get any funding for the production, and therefore, a lot of artists paid for all their work expenses. Other artists participated with their previous artworks that are related to the theme of the exhibition.

JS: Given your show’s title, is this an optimistic show? Why or why not?

E & S: A: This exhibition is in between optimism and pessimism about the issue of solidarity, and how us-artists- can help improve and change the idea and definition of solidarity with the people and their cause, whether through political, social, economic or humanitarian solidarity.

JS: What was the biggest challenge you faced as you brought the exhibition to fruition? Your biggest surprise, delightful or otherwise?

E & S: The biggest challenge is the topic itself, especially that the artist is the one who contributes in developing the tools to craft a new creative space for solidarity. Moreover, the idea of us being able to change the definition of solidarity through the available tools of arts in Gaza, and within the harsh conditions that the Gazan artists are going through, is also challenging.

The biggest surprise for us as curators was that before sending out the invitation for artwork production and participating in the exhibition, we knew that we won't be receiving the grants that we usually get from different organizations. The only choice we had, as a result, was for the artists to participate without any support, and we opened the door of participation for new or old works.

JS: What was your biggest hope as you conceived and then mounted the exhibition? Did you have an ideal viewer in mind?

E & S: We had a dream and hope of producing diverse artworks that reflect the issue of solidarity and from different artistic angles. We also hoped to have different practices of art that reflect the theme of Qalandiya International, in addition to producing new artistic practices that have never been produced before, such as performing and conceptual arts, as well as installations. 

JS: What would be the one takeaway that you would want the serious, focused, time-is-no-object visitor to take from the show?

E & S: Visitors will learn new and diverse thoughts about solidarity and from different angles. We hope that the visitors after finishing their tour inside the walls of the exhibition will get the chance to see how the artists practice solidarity with themselves and with others through their art.

 

Searching for imagination in a lost reality, 2014,

Photo courtesy of Shareef Sarhan.