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From Van Gogh with Ashes, 2024, 20x30cm, Acrylic on PDF

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

Exhibition Start Date:
09/01/2025
Exhibition End Date:
17/01/2025

The P21 Gallery is pleased to present “Collateral Damage”, an exhibition of a body of artworks by journalist artist Abdelfatah Bouakaz. A visual statement by Abdelfatah on his inner pain, helplessness and oppression. And it’s a visual presentation on the war on Gaza, a powerful medium to convey the profound impact of the genocide. Through the use of colours, textures, and forms, Bouakaz is depicting the harsh realities and emotional toll of war. His paintings are capturing scenes of destruction, displacement, and resilience, offering viewers a visceral understanding of the human cost of genocide.
 
Such an exhibition might include stark, monochromatic images to represent the devastation and loss, contrasted with bursts of colour symbolizing hope and resistance. Artists could use abstract forms to express the chaos and confusion of war, while more literal depictions might show the daily struggles and moments of humanity amidst the turmoil.
 
Ultimately, a visual art presentation on the war on Gaza aims to raise awareness, evoke empathy, and inspire action. By translating the unspeakable horrors of war into a universal language of art, it can reach a broad audience and foster a deeper understanding of the ongoing genocide and its repercussions.

 

 

ARTIST STATEMENT

My paintings employ a silent language, documenting some of the horrific events and fading truths. They speak to people who love colours and read between the strokes. My aim for this exhibition is to raise awareness about the Palestinian cause through bold colours and profound touches, conveyed by a media man who observes in silence.


This exhibition was not planned to be on display for the public, as the drawings are personal works I created to express myself. They represent a rebellion against a quarter-century career spent between the newsroom and media production—a rebellion against the hundreds of broadcasts, programs, reports, and documentaries in which written words and vocal tones failed to create impact or bring about change.


After years of monotonous journalistic experiences, I concluded that commentary through reading and expression through writing are no longer sufficient to embody ideas, nor are they always capable of achieving real impact. I realized that words, paper, and pen had all become powerless, worn out by habit and consumed by routine. The time had come for them to be replaced by canvases, colours, and paintings. 


Painting is a creative medium of expression, and its colours are silent tones that the ear cannot hear, but the eye deciphers their imaginative mysteries, inspiring words that the tongue translates into voice.


Words may sometimes fail, and tones often fade, but the silence embodied in colours can be more honest, noble, and profound.


Since I view scenes through the eyes of a journalist, I titled the paintings in a news format, adopting a perspective that considers killing as merely “collateral damage.” It’s a disgusting and unacceptable viewpoint, yet it is a common and shocking realit.

 

 

PRESS INFORMATION


For further exhibition information, press images and interview opportunities, please contact P21 Gallery, email: mail@p21.org.uk, Tel. 020 7121 6190

 

 

A P21 Gallery reACT project