ART RESIDENCY PROJECTS | ONLINE EXHIBITIONS

IDENTITIES

| MOZAIK EURO-MED ARTHUB | SEASON 1 | Episode 1

INTRODUCTION

The inaugural exhibition in the “Mozaik Euro-Mediterranean Art Hub” series, which opens on the 15th of June, 2024 at the historic Károlyi Palace in Fehérvárcsurgó, unveils the results of a month-long filmed art residency set in the heart of nature. This captivating yet very sad showcase features the works of two exceptionally talented and experienced visual artists from Haifa: Jewish visual artist Tal Gaosh and Palestinian visual artist Abed Abdi.

The joint exhibition, hosted by the Joseph Károlyi Foundation, focuses on the theme “Identities: A Visual Dialogue.” It delves into the complexities of identity through the artists’ works, prompting viewers to reflect on the interconnectedness of personal and collective narratives within the broader context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The International Art Colony, a project by the Interkulti Association for the Promotion of Intercultural Dialogue, hosted these two visual artists in Chokako, a serene and picturesque rural village in West Hungary. This tranquil setting provided a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere essential for fostering creativity and inspiring art creation.

Amidst the current climate of war and destruction, with the
escalating conflict in the Middle East, this initiative emerges as a beacon of hope. It seeks to demonstrates that art can build bridges and inspire dialogue, aiming to provide a ray of light to those who believe in mutual respect and understanding.

While the art residency did not aim to provide political answers, its results—exemplified in the exhibition of the artworks created during the residency and the documentary film about the project—ought to serve as a catalyst for raising questions and nurturing collective contemplation.

Through their shared creativity, Tal Gaosh and Abed Abdi remind us that our identities are interwoven and our stories are more alike than we might think.

This project is part of the Mobility for Creativity action (vol. 4), supported by the Anna Lndh Foundation and co funded by the EU.

#ALFinMotion #StoriesinMOTION

TAL GAOSH

Tal Gaosh (or Gaash), born in 1968 in Petah Tikva and currently living and working in Haifa, Israel, is a multidisciplinary artist and MFA graduate from the University of Haifa.

Tal holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art, a Visual Communication and Teaching Certificate from WIZO Academic Center in Haifa, and has attended various prestigious art programs, including the “Community Creation Lab” at Givat Haviva Art Center and the Arab and Jewish Cultural Leaders course in Sachnin.

Skilled in painting, sculpture, installation, glass painting, and other mediums, Tal currently serves as an Art Educator at the Haifa Museum of Contemporary Art and the youth program at the University of Haifa. In her free time, she is an art-tours guide.

Tal Gaosh was selected for this project based on the recommendation of curator Ina Berkovic, gallery director of Beit Hagefen – The Jewish Arab Cultural Center in Haifa. Tal’s filmed art residency is sponsored by the Anna Lindh Foundation and is co-funded by the EU.

ABED ABDI

Abed Abdi is a Palestinian visual artist, and the chief curator of the Art Colony, who resides and works in Haifa, Israel.

Born in 1942 in Haifa (Mandate Palestine), Abed Abdi witnessed the Palestinian Nakba at age six when he and his family had to leave Haifa and seek refuge in the camps of Lebanon and Syria in 1948. They were allowed back to the homeland in 1951 following a family reunification request by his father, who had remained in Haifa.

Abdi graduated from the Fine Arts Academy in Dresden, Germany, where he was tutored by leading German artists and befriended notable figures such as Lea Grundig, a Jewish artist known for depicting the horrors of the Holocaust and World War II, who also served as his teacher at the Academy.

Abdi is renowned for his artworks depicting the Nakba and the refugee experience, and for creating the Land Day Monument, the first memorial monument in historical Palestine, in collaboration with his Jewish colleague Gershon Knispel.

Abed Abdi has received the highest honours both in Palestine and in Israel, and is an honorary citizen of the city of Haifa. He also received an honorary mention by the Anna Lindh Foundation in 2008 for his role in fostering intercultural dialogue in the Euro-Med region.

Israeli-Palestinian painters for the peaceful coexistence of their peoples

Mr. Endre Simó, President, Hungarian Peace Circle

https://bekekor.wordpress.com/2024/06/16/izraeli-palesztin-festomuveszek-nepeik-An exhibition of paintings by Israeli artist Tal Gaosh and Palestinian artist Abed Abdi opened on Saturday at the Károlyi Castle in Fehérvárcsurgó and will run until June 20. The exhibition, organized in the spirit of dialogue, was inaugurated by Dr. Abdi Amir, a lawyer living in Hungary and the Palestinian president of the Interkulti Association. He stated that the organization of the exhibition was important to promote peaceful development between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples through the language of culture. He praised the two artists for their stand in defense of life, depicting the horrors of war.

Dr. Abdi Amir also invited the Hungarian Peace Circle to the event and asked Simó Endre, the president of the Peace Circle, to share his thoughts. Simó addressed the gathering:

“The Hungarian Peace Circle wholeheartedly shares the spirit of the exhibition. The values we uphold tell us that overcoming historical grievances is a virtue, not a compromise!” Looking into each other’s eyes and seeing the human in the other is a step towards understanding that our fate is shared. For we are people, even in our differences. Above all, we are people who owe respect to each other’s cultures and values, just as the other owes it to us.

Fate has brought it about that here and now we must help two peoples, set against each other by dark forces, to find each other. Forces that have no interest in their peaceful coexistence.

Only recognition and thanks are due to Tal Gaosh and Abed Abdi, the two main figures of the exhibition, for building a bridge between the peoples of Israel and Palestine through the language of art, and for sending a message from here in Fehérvárcsurgó, from the beautiful Károlyi Castle, to the country and the world, that Jews and Palestinians, Christians and Muslims, believers and non-believers, all peoples and humans in the world, are destined for peaceful coexistence, and this commandment applies even to those who do not believe in it!

Thank you, Tal Gaosh and Abed Abdi, for what you are doing for the peaceful coexistence of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples! Your humanity provides a great service to us as well, for a handshake is greatly needed here in Europe too. +++

Issued by: Hungarian Peace Circle

ABED ABDI
Victims of The Aggression Acrylic on canvas, 101 x 97 cm (2024). — ABED ABDI Victims of The Aggression Acrylic on canvas, 101 x 97 cm (2024).

ABED ABDI
Martyr no.18280 From Bureij Refugee Camp,
Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 77 cm (2024). — ABED ABDI Martyr no.18280 From Bureij Refugee Camp, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 77 cm (2024).

ABED ABDI
Mother and Her Children Amidst the Ruins,
Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm (2023). — ABED ABDI Mother and Her Children Amidst the Ruins, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm (2023).

ABED ABDI
Destruction and Displacement 1, Acrylic on canvas, 50 x 67 cm (2023). — ABED ABDI Destruction and Displacement 1, Acrylic on canvas, 50 x 67 cm (2023).

ABED ABDI
Self Portrait in The Shadow of The Situation, Acrylic on canvas, 101 x 131 cm (2024). — ABED ABDI Self Portrait in The Shadow of The Situation, Acrylic on canvas, 101 x 131 cm (2024).

ABED ABDI
Death and Destruction, Acrylic on canvas, 178 x 145 cm (2024). — ABED ABDI Death and Destruction, Acrylic on canvas, 178 x 145 cm (2024).

ABED ABDI
Destruction and Displacement 2, Acrylic on canvas, 151 x 121 cm (2024). — ABED ABDI Destruction and Displacement 2, Acrylic on canvas, 151 x 121 cm (2024).

TAL GAOSH
Rafah, Acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm (2024). — TAL GAOSH Rafah, Acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm (2024).

TAL GAOSH
The Worst Happened, Acrylic on canvas, 78 x 50 cm (2024). — TAL GAOSH The Worst Happened, Acrylic on canvas, 78 x 50 cm (2024).

TAL GAOSH IDon’tKnowHowtoGetUp, Acrylicon
canvas, 71 x 50 cm (2024). — TAL GAOSH IDon’tKnowHowtoGetUp, Acrylicon canvas, 71 x 50 cm (2024).

TAL GAOSH
The Mourners 1, Acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm (2024). — TAL GAOSH The Mourners 1, Acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm (2024).

TAL GAOSH
The Mourners 2, Acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm (2024). — TAL GAOSH The Mourners 2, Acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm (2024).

GAOSH TAL
UNTILL DEATH DO US APART, Akrill vásznon, 80 x 60 cm (2024). — GAOSH TAL UNTILL DEATH DO US APART, Akrill vásznon, 80 x 60 cm (2024).

TAL GAOSH
Condolences, Acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm (2024). — TAL GAOSH Condolences, Acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm (2024).

GAOSH TAL
untitled, Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 38 cm (2024). — GAOSH TAL untitled, Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 38 cm (2024).

TAL GAOSH
ProtectedSpace(Diptich), Acrylicon canvas, 47 x 80 cm (2024). — TAL GAOSH ProtectedSpace(Diptich), Acrylicon canvas, 47 x 80 cm (2024).

GAOSH TAL
Pray the Devil Back To Hell, Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 38 cm (2024). — GAOSH TAL Pray the Devil Back To Hell, Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 38 cm (2024).

The Exhibition in the Hungarian Press

Identities, Episode 1:
The Documentary

Coming July 15th. 2024:

Special thank you to the Joseph Károlyi Foundation and the Károlyi Palace for hosting this exhibition. (15 June – 23 June 2024, Fehérvárcsurgó, Hungary)