“white Black” Exhibition - Solo exhibition by Mohammad Sabaneh

Curated by Nadeem Mazen as part of his curatorial work at the Yabous Cultural Center, in collaboration with Iman Hamdieh and Dawod Odeh. The exhibition took place at the Mahmoud Darwish Lounge, Yabous Cultural Centre, 10 Zahra Street, Jerusalem.

The exhibition “Black & White” by Palestinian artist Mohammad Sabaaneh is an artistic experience that carries both visual and intellectual depth, employing caricature as a powerful tool to express the Palestinian reality under occupation. The exhibition was held at the Yabous Cultural Centre in Jerusalem and showcased a wide collection of black-and-white works, inspired by the artist’s book of the same name, which contains around 180 drawings.

The choice of black and white was not merely an aesthetic decision, but a symbolic one, reflecting the stark contrasts that define Palestinian life, light and darkness, freedom and restriction, hope and despair. Through this simplicity of color, Sabaneh constructs a visual world that translates daily suffering. His characters appear trapped in narrow labyrinths, confined by walls, checkpoints, and barriers, powerful metaphors for the absence of freedom in both body and spirit.

At its core, the exhibition transcends the boundaries of drawing to become a visual testimony of Palestinian life. It documents the harshness of experience and reflects the impact of imprisonment and detention that the artist endured, transforming those personal realities into works that carry universal human resonance. In this sense, caricature becomes a form of cultural resistance, where pain is reshaped into a visual language that speaks to everyone, revealing truths often obscured by headlines and politics.

The significance of “Black & White” lies not only in its artistic value but in its message, it portrays the everyday lives of Palestinians beyond stereotypes, uncovering their humanity amid conditions of siege. The exhibition builds a bridge between the artist and his audience, both local and international, inviting viewers to pause, reflect, and confront questions of memory, identity, and justice.

Thus, the exhibition moves beyond being simply an artistic event, it becomes a space for thought, resistance, and a visual outcry against erasure, affirming that art has the power to carry truth and defend it.