Eyes of Gaza

Eyes of Gaza عيون غزه is a collaborative project that was produced in the summer and fall of 2020. The destruction caused by different wars on Gaza was present at that time also; but it was not as ubiquitous and total as it is now. It was the aim of the project to show another side of Gaza - still existing then - different from the images that people got and get to see all over the world.  Mostly, those images are news images reflecting the respective state of affairs – destruction, death, and despair. But aside from the siege and wars on the Gaza strip which Gazans already have had to endure time and again up until 2020 , they also were also leading a “normal” life, and they celebrated life in many ways, defying the situation imposed on them. 

Eyes of Gaza عيون غزه is giving a voice to the young generation through photography, showing another perspective of life in the Gaza strip that was still possible before October 2023. A different reflection, an angle that was usually hidden for the outside world. For this exhibition, the youth of Gaza portrayed their life as they chose to portray it, showing their favorite places and hangouts where they spent time with their friends or their family, reflecting personal and intimate moments of their daily lives and their surroundings without being voyeuristic. The visitors of the exhibition can thus see the Gaza strip they saw. 

“What we must eliminate are systems of representation that carry with them the authority which has become repressive because it doesn't permit or make room for interventions on the part of those represented.” ~ Edward Said 

Eyes of Gaza عيون غزه was a collaborative project in which every link in the chain from the initial idea to the opening of the exhibition was important for bringing it to life. The participation of all those involved, from pupils and teachers to other helpers on site in Gaza was coordinated by

Organizers: Produced by the Ibn Rushd Fund association, Berlin, Germany

Nahed Awwad, Filmmaker, Berlin & Cora Josting, Chairwoman Ibn Rushd Fund, Berlin: Curators // Salman AL Nawati, Qattan Child Centre, Gaza: Coordinator // Amjad Al Fayoumi, Gaza & Stefanie Kulisch, Berlin: Photography Tutors // 

Artists: 9 Children in Gaza (alphabetically by first name) - Ahmad Al Louh, Baraa Faraj, Dania Hamad, Faheed Shabab, Jan Khaled, Maram Falyouna, Raghed Al Shawwa, Samar Sharaf, Shahed Reseq

Supported by Stiftung Begegnung association Gütersloh, Germany; Engagement Global, Bonn, Germany; Qattan Foundation Ramallah, Palestine