'In the Line of Fire. Miracles amidst Ruins': Gaza Biennale opens in Greece

The Gaza Biennial is essentially a platform for resistance and international solidarity, illuminating the contemporary art scene in Gaza.

The Greek Pavilion of the Biennale is called "In the Zone of Fire. Miracles in the Ruins" and is now on at the Hill Art Project in Kipseli, a northern suburb in Athens.

It features 30 artists from the firing zone who are exhibiting in Greece for the first time, reminding the world that culture is the last line of defence for the Palestinian people.

The Biennale is being held in 14 cities around the world (including New York, London, Berlin, Berlin, Copenhagen and Valencia), and is the first major showcase of the work of young Palestinian artists.

The Greek Pavilion has selected characteristic works that combine aesthetic excellence, a pioneering artistic and political stance to help fuel the debate on the difficulty of artistic production in Gaza today, as well as to rally the artistic community in favour of justice.

Contemporary Palestinian art struggles for cultural survival and emerges as a force of resistance, combining tradition and innovation under the most unimaginable circumstances. Through painting, sculpture, photography and video art, Gazan artists transform pain into poetry, trauma into memory and loss into a weapon of truth.

The artists participating in the exhibition are: Ahmed Adnan, Ahmad Aladawi, Ahmad Muhanna, Alaa Abu Saif, Alaà Al Shawa, Ashraf Sahwiel, Aya Juha, Bassel Aklouk, Diana Alhosary, Emad Badwan, Fadel Tafesh, Hala Eid Alnaji, Jehad Jarbou, Ghanem Al Den, Ibrahim Al Sultan, Khaled Hussein, Lamis Dajani Shawwa, Liza Madi, Maisara Baroud, Mary Ann Jaraisy, Maysa Yousef, Motaz Naim, Osama Naqqa Hussein, Rasha Alrayes, Ruba Mahmoud Hassan, Ola Al Sharif, Sohail Salem, Yasmeen Al Daya, Yahya Alsholy, Yara Zuhod.

The exhibition is curated by Faye Tzanetoulakou and Dimitris Sarafianos. The organization of the Biennale is supported by the group of artists and curators from Gaza and the Forbidden Museum of Al Risan Hill, Palestine.

In a statement, the organisers said the artworks presented are made by artists who've witnessed the worst horrors of humankind.

"Defying all challenges, artists have been working, confronting unimaginable difficulties and creating works that remind us that art is essential to life and to our survival as a species."

As part of the exhibition, there will be various talks by participating artists from Gaza and a link to the forthcoming opening of the Turkish Pavilion of the Gaza Biennale, part of the Istanbul International Biennale.

Sohail Salem's "Diary in the Time of Genocide" will also be presented, courtesy of the English Pavilion of the Gaza Biennial.

"The Gaza Biennial: In the Zone of Fire. Miracles in the Ruins"

The Greek pavilion exhibition runs until 4 November, 2025.