PRESS RELEASE:
AMMAN, 30th of May 2021 – Seeing hope in the midst of destruction is a privileged artform. One that few people carry as well as Palestinians, who have passed it across generations despite being incessantly struck by tragedy over the years.
It is to pay tribute to this resilience that acclaimed food artist Omar Sartawi and award-winning architect Amer Abidi decided to partner and create a mystifying artistic creation: The Gaza Chair.
The heart wrenching piece of furniture is a unique aesthetic representation of the destruction endured by the people of Gaza in recent weeks, which aims to send a message of hope and support for their future.
“This chair transfers the painful language of destruction into that of beauty and hope. Seeing destruction represented in such an explicit manner hits you in the face and you cannot turn away,” explains food artist Omar Sartawi, who is known for his unconventional culinary art pieces mixing food and design.
“This seemed like the perfect material for our collaborative project as it perfectly embodies the lack of resources and material to show the world that from leftovers, we can create life. We wanted to create beauty and optimism using seemingly insignificant leftovers that even the most deprived individuals have access to, therefore showing the unlimited possibilities for the future,” he continues.
For Abidi, the chair was a way to convey a deeply-rooted message of solidarity and admiration through highly conceptual art. “The chair, which symbolizes a moment to sit down, in comfort - out of ruins, appeared like as a piece of frozen time for us.”
Abidi continues…“Omar said it best when he once told me "Amer, I've just realized that bullets are loud, but art is louder than bullets! – Let’s create life out of this destruction". I was sold - I put everything aside and focused on this one piece.”
“It was my way to try to convey to the beautiful resilient people of Gaza that, through all the challenges and misfortunes of life, they have taught us how to create beauty out of whatever we have. Now, whenever I look at this chair, I feel a sense of pride, and hope, Not destruction.” he explains.
Both Jordanians from Palestinian descents, the artists insist that, rather than taking sides, this creation is “a universal message of hope, against any type of oppression”. “Art should express what is going on in our lives, and lead the way to brighter horizons,” Sartawi notes, adding that “we stand with the cause from our moral compass – not from ethnicity. What we want is peace, and to reveal all the beauty that lies in humanity”
Aside from its artistic message, the Gaza Chair also has a concrete purpose: to raise funds for the people of Gaza. The duo intends to start a crowdfunding campaign, with hopes to raise up to a million dollars and the Gaza Chair will be up for sale at an auction organized by the DAR Art in June.
Asked about the reasons behind selecting this art piece, DAR Art co-founder Dina Dabbas Rifai noted: “Art imitating life or life imitating art? Whatever the case may be, this amazingly inspiring co-creation imitates our devastating reality. Omar Sartawi and Amer Abidi have managed to surprise us with this fantastic reflection of devastation yet resilience. Strength yet fragility. Harshness yet delicate subtlety.”
