I shall carve the sun's words
The exhibition is open for visits daily from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, except on Fridays and Sundays.
The exhibition’s title, I shall carve the sun’s words, a verse drawn from Tawfiq Zayyad’s poem Upon an Olive Branch (February 1966), comprises both an exhibition and a public programme – it brings together artists and cultural practitioners committed to confronting the crisis of reading history in the present without hesitation or compromise. Through newly commissioned and existing works, the project proposes to reclaim perceptions of liberation as a “praxis,” unsettling the entanglements of history, time, occupation, and the fragmented experiences of Palestinians across occupied Palestine and the diaspora.
Some artists turn to the archives of Palestinian civil society organisations and cultural life, excavating traces and silences. Others grapple with the body as a “living archive,” interrogating the impossibilities of reading history in the present. Together, they challenge us to move beyond abstract visions of a “Free Palestine” into a lived, uncompromising engagement with the political, cultural, and social conditions shaping the struggle for liberation today.
Through archival artworks and real-time explorations, the exhibition and public programme assemble personal and collective readings and material encounters, positioning time as a cyclical spectrum under the Occupation. At its core, I shall carve the sun’s words asks: How do we build futures that refuse to negotiate the end of occupation? How is it possible to govern time through reading?
Reem Shadid and Bekriah Saeb
Artists
Noor Abed, Salim Abu Jabal, Ahmed Alaqra, Rehaf Al Batniji, Izz Al-Jabari, Ruba Alfarawneh, Mahmoud Al-Shaer, Basma al-Sharif, Rana Batrawi, Rebal Dirieh, Shaimaa Esmat, Rula Halawani, Ahed Izhiman, Emily Jacir, Monther Jawabreh, Ghassan Naddaf, Samar Ozrail, Shareef Sarhan, Hanna Qubty, Ola Zaitoun.
CREDITS
Curated by
Reem Shadid and Bekriah Saeb
Assistant Curator
Yasmin Huleileh
Graphic Design
Haitham Haddad
Exhibition Scenography
Salem Shamieh
Production Team
Diaa Jubeh, Saleh Lutfi
Special Thanks
Yazid Anani, Johnny Kort, Majdi Hadid, Suneela Mubayi, Majed Al Rimawi, Birzeit University - Faculty of Arts, RIWAQ – Centre for Architectural Conservation, Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer), ASHTAR Theatre, Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP), Al Ayyam Newspaper.