“Swarm/Sarab” Exhibition – First Edition, 2022

Curated by Nadeem Mazen at the Yabous Cultural Centre, the exhibition was hosted in the Mahmoud Darwish Lounge, 10 Zahra Street, Jerusalem, as part of the annual Jerusalem Festival 2022.

A gathering of Palestinian artists came together to explore freedom and restrictions, whether personal or collective, through their works using diverse materials and mediums.

The exhibition delves into the constraints and limitations imposed on both private and public spaces, shaped by political, social, legal, and psychological challenges faced within Palestinian society. These restrictions affect not only individuals, but also landscapes, plants, and animals, ultimately threatening basic and collective freedoms.

The lack of awareness and knowledge of rights, alongside the failure to practice our human, cultural, and democratic freedoms, continues to weigh heavily. As a society, we have not yet healed from the legacies of oppression, imprisonment, censorship, and silencing, consequences that have shaped the boundaries of living, communication, and expression across both private and public spheres.

Participating Artists

Bashir Qanqor, Bayan Abu Nahla, Hneen Nazzal, Khaled Hourani, Darina Jabr, Reem Masri, Shatha Safi, Sabreen Haj Ahmed, Azeez Azeez, Alaa Albaba, Fouad Agbaria, Majd Masri, Mohammad Sabaaneh, Marah Ghnem, Mariam Awadeh, Nour Khalil, Heba Zagout, Haya Kaabneh, and Yazan Abu Salamah.