Within the framework of its ‘Falastin al Hadara’ program, Darat al Funun presents a number of exhibitions that look at both pioneering and contemporary art in Palestine.

We start the year with the first retrospective exhibition in the Arab world by Khaled Hourani, including paintings, installations, and conceptual work. The exhibition includes key projects, such as Picasso in Palestine, where in 2011 he arranged to bring an original masterpiece to the West Bank, The Zebra Copy Card (2009), which reflects on life under occupation through the surreal story of a Gaza zoo that transformed two donkeys into zebras, and The Story of the Watermelon (2007-), a series of silkscreens using the once forbidden colours of the Palestinian flag. For his exhibition at Darat al Funun, he also presents a new installation that uses the neutral blue figure at the heart of the UNHCR logo to give thought to refugees of the past, present, and future. At a later stage in the exhibition, Hourani will also launch his new art book, inspired by a tall tale of art works removed from Libya since 2011.

Khaled Hourani is an artist, curator, and art critic, as well as founder and former director of the International Academy of Art Palestine. Hourani plays a major role in the contemporary art scene in Palestine. A story-teller at heart, Hourani places the process of art at the heart of his practice, using it to exchange ideas, collaborate, and engage in dialogue.