GAZA ’24 // a life in Gaza// Ahmed Aldaalsa + // 03/08 to 01/09 at art space Het Langhuis.
How can a person lose everything he owns and not lose his mind? Ahmed Aldaalsa 2024
“How can someone lose everything he owns without losing his mind?” questions Ahmed, artist from Gaza. With charcoal drawings, he depicts his desperation in a devastated Gaza.
This August The Langhuis is showing the work of Ahmed Aldaalsa. His drawings, his photographs and short videos shot out of hand are digitally transmitted from his phone.
His work will be printed and/or beamed onto walls and will soon fill the four rooms of Het Langhuis. Artists living and/or working in Zwolle and artists from outside Zwolle, have been asked to respond with a modest gesture. In addition, Beatbox’s cultural laboratory Fakkelteit, Zwolle, guided by spoken word artist/rapper Ricardo MC Dougal (Opgezwolle), wrote and rapped on the rhetorical question “How can someone lose everything he owns without losing his mind?”
+ Participating artists besides Ahmed Aldaalsa are Olivier Otten, Ibrahim Kurt, and Basma Alafifi (Gaza/Egypt) with, in addition, a contribution from Fakkelteit, Beatbox. (image and sound recording by Lesley Da Rosa)
The contrast couldn’t be any greater: Gaza and Zwolle? Seen from our comfortable society, the human suffering there is incomprehensible. It is beyond our comprehension. His situation is hopeless, we share his and our images, his and our words. For understanding, for solidarity. Gaza ’24 is not a political pamphlet it is an exhibition about humanity.
Quality prints of his drawings and photographs have been made on a2 and a3 paper in small editions. These special prints are on sale at the Langhuis. The proceeds go directly to the artist still living in Gaza. These prints are also provided by Olivier Otten, for which many thanks. Click here for prices
About Ahmed
Ahmed Aldaalsa is an artist in Palestine. As far as he can live his artistry now, because life in Gaza is mostly survival. Ahmed’s home destroyed, he survives with his family in a tent, near Rafah in Nuseirat, while a humanitarian disaster unfolds. So he has no home, let alone a studio, but he draws, photographs and films his, his, life in Gaza.
Artist at work – Ahmed Aldaalsa
Ahmed has exhibited in galleries, and taught courses to children. All that is now impossible. Whatever he makes now of what is left to him, he sends around the world. It is being picked up here and there. A sign of life from an inhuman war.
By zooming in and making it very personal, we get in touch with what really matters, humanity. Grief makes no distinction between faith and background, it destroys families, dreams and hopes. Grief is a pain that can be felt universally.
Through Ahmed’s raw yet vulnerable images and the response of a.o. Zwolle artists, we open a new debate; sensitive, engaged, compassionate and supportive.
Previous exhibition on art from Gaza.
Just last year the Langhuis showed the work of five women artists from Gaza titled Young In Gaza with works by; Amal El Nakhala, Hala Ayman Alabssi, Basma Alafifi, Bayan Abunahla and Fatma Alhoupi. The artworks they showed were pre-war and mainly depicted the life of these young artists, a limited life with little future perspective. This exhibition was an initiative of Thijs Verster and you could say a prologue to this exhibition. Basma, is also making a contribution again this time through a video work and Thijs Verster is showing some photo collages he made as a result of his trip to Gaza.
Gaza ’24 is from Saturday 03 August to Sunday 01 September and opens 03 August at 3pm with work by Ahmed Aldaalsa + Olivier Otten, Ibrahim Kurt, Basma Alafifi + Fakkelteit Beatbox led by Ricardo Mc Dougal
You are warmly invited to attend the opening.
Want to reserve an artwork? Mail to info@langhuis.nl o.v.v. Kunstwerk Gaza- indicate which image and size. and we will contact you.
Overview exhibition: click on this link