The first major exhibition of Bedouin art will open on Wednesday at the Raha center for the plastic arts in Rahat, the country's largest Bedouin city in the Negev desert.
Among the artists whose work goes on display are founders of the Raha center -launched in July - including Hala Abo Freh, Nasraa Azbarga, Ola Alkrenawi, Camilar Isabela and Fatma Abo Freh.
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Exhibition at the Raha center for the plastic arts in Rahat, Israel
(Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Alter)
This first exhibition, open throughout January, offers painterly and plastic adaptation of books, poems or plays that had strong impact on the artists. "It is an encounter between literature and plastic art. We set out to express the cultural and artistic universe of the painters through the canvas, as well as express the impact of the outside world on the artists' worlds," said Daniel Alter, director and founder of the Raha Center.
The Raha center was created on the initiative of the city's community center under the direction of Fouad Ilizidna. Alter, who had already set up a similar center in the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel, was contacted to coordinate the establishment of the the institution in Rahat. The center offers a wide range of artistic activities for children of all ages and adults, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography or video art.
2 View gallery
Exhibition at the Raha center for the plastic arts in Rahat, Israel
(Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Alter)
“The goal is not merely to introduce Bedouin art to Israelis, but to proclaim loud and clear that it represents an integral part of Israeli art,” Alter added.
Artists from the Raha center are currently at work on a large-scale mural in partnership with Shenkar College. The project will be unveiled in late March.