Al Jisser Group is proud to present...
THREE ARAB PAINTERS IN NEW YORK: Samia Halaby, Sumayyah Samaha, Athir Shayota
curated by Maymanah FarhatJune 3-24, 2006
Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 AM - 6 PM at The Bridge
New York CityOpening Reception:
Tuesday, June 6
6 PM - 9 PM
Enjoy food, music and wine with the artists and curator of this important exhibition of Arab art in New York!Thank you for your generous and enthusiastic support of the Made in Palestine exhibition! Now, join us to welcome a new, historic exhibition of Arab art in New York City...Three Arab Painters in New York!
The Bridge gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of Contemporary Arab art by New York-based Arab painters , Samia Halaby, Sumayyah Samaha and Athir Shayota. Three Arab Painters in New York provides the rare opportunity for the engagement of an American audience with Arab art that explores sociopolitical issues that deeply affect the Arab world and its expatriates.
Introspective work speaks of the loss of lives, destruction of homeland and the vulnerability of humanity that result from violent political conflicts. Juxtaposed with these personal explorations are profound expressions of resilience and hope. The exhibition finds its rest in universal values that transcend national, cultural and societal borders.
Halaby, Samaha and Shayota are three leading Arab artists who have been contributing to the world of contemporary international art for decades and have exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States. Varied in style, technique, medium, scale and artistic influence, the three present a glimpse into the diverse and complex nature of the Arab World's art and visual culture.
Palestinian artist Samia Halaby creates abstract paintings that articulate the inner strength of a population transcending an invasive military occupation. The exhibit also includes a series of Renaissance-inspired drawings by Halaby, which chronicle the tragedy of the 1956 Kafr Qasem massacre. Through intimate mixed media paintings, commanding charcoal drawings and fragile ceramic work, Lebanese artist Sumayyah Samaha confronts the viewer with the ugliness of war. Both Halaby's and Samaha's art reveal the devastating conditions under which hope struggles to survive.
The paintings presented in the exhibition by Iraqi artist Athir Shayota span over fifteen years. While Shayota's Iraqi figures are dignified and stoic, they possess psychological currents, projecting an intense apathy for the viewer and defiantly refusing interpretation.
Three Arab Painters in New York is curated by Maymanah Farhat, an art historian and specialist in Modern and Contemporary Arab art. For more information contact Maymanah Farhat: sccheeto@yahoo.com.
Al Jisser Group + 646-584-9098 + www.aljisser.org + info@aljisser.org
Events at Three Arab Painters in New York:
Calendar of Events
Saturday, June 3 - Saturday, June 24
Tuesday-Saturday, 11 AM - 6 PM
Open Hours: Three Arab Painters in New York
Three Arab Painters in New York open hoursTuesday, June 6
6 PM - 9 PM
Opening Reception: Three Arab Painters in New York
Enjoy food, music and wine with the artists and curator of this important exhibition of Arab art in New York!Saturday, June 10 7 PM Artists' Panel: Three Arab Painters in New York Join Samia Halaby, Sumayyah Samaha, Athir Shayota and curator Maymanah Farhat to discuss "Three Arab Painters in New York," and their work as Arab painters, with the artists featured in the show.
Wednesday, June 14
7:30 PM
Poetic Injustice Poetry Reading
Join us at the Bridge for an exciting night of spoken word and performance.
The Bridge is bringing back performers Remi Kanazi, NAAP's Nadeen and Yasmine, Urban Word's Tahani Salah, Ehab Zahriyeh and many others for an intense and entertaining evening. Admission: $5 suggested donation.Thursday, June 15 7 PM Kafr Qasem Massacre: A Lecture by Samia Halaby Samia Halaby, Palestinian artist featured in "Three Arab Painters in New York," will lecture on her 1999 series of drawings that document the Kafr Qasem massacre of 1956.
Monday, June 19
7 PM
Film Showing: Arna's Children
Join New Jersey Solidarity - Activists for the Liberation of Palestine to view this film, that tells the story of a theatre group that was established by Arna Mer Khamis. Arna comes from a Zionist family and in the 1950s married a Palestinian Arab, Saliba Khamis. On the West Bank, she opened an alternative education system for children whose regular life was disrupted by the Israeli occupation. The theatre group that she started engaged children from Jenin, helping them to express their everyday frustrations, anger, bitterness and fear. Arna's son Juliano, director of this film, was also one of the directors of Jenin's theatre. With his camera, he filmed the children during rehearsal periods from 1989 to 1996. Now he goes back to see what happened to them. An important story of life under occupation, and of cultural and political resistance.Wednesday, June 21
7 PM
"until when.." Film Showing with Directors
Join directors Dahna Abourahme and Suzy Salamy as they present their documentary film "until when..." Set during the current Intifada, this documentary follows four Palestinian families living in Dheisheh Refugee Camp near Bethlehem. Fadi is thirteen and cares for his four younger brothers, the Hammash family pass on the lessons of life with humor and passion, Sana is a single woman who endures long commutes to do community work, and Emad and Hanan are a young couple trying to shield their daughter from the harsh realities of the occupation. They talk about their past and discuss the future with humor, sorrow, frustration and hope. "until when..." paints an intimate in-depth portrait of Palestinian lives today. Followed by discussion with directors.Thursday, June 22
7 PM
The Liberation Art of Palestine
In this exciting, informative presentation, Samia Halaby will present, using the lens of Palestinian art of the past fifty years, an analysis of the political and social environment which lay behind the creation of the liberation art of Palestine. Journey through Palestinian art, Palestinian history and Palestinian politics and culture through the art of Palestinian liberation! For more information:Al Jisser Group + 646-584-9098 + www.aljisser.org + info@aljisser.org
Share this page with a friend
International Action Center
39 West 14th Street, Room 206
New York, NY 10011
email: mailto:iacenter@action-mail.org
En Espanol: iac-cai@action-mail.org
Web: http://www.iacenter.org
Support Mumia Abu-Jamal: http://www.millions4mumia.org/
phone: 212 633-6646
fax: 212 633-2889
Make a donation to the IAC and its projects
The International Action Center
Home ActionAlerts Press