An avid collector of memorabilia that dates back to the years before and during the British rule (1917 – 1948), Harb sources film posters, coins, letters, and pre-Nakba maps with the aim of reawakening and reaffirming the collective memories of his country. The artist overlaps these materials with enlarged black and white photographs detailing previously unseen fragments from Palestinian history. Harb reframes these historical elements in a contemporary context using jarring coloured acrylic panels to isolate a particular segment of the image. His aim is to create a visual link between the present day and challenge what Harb describes as the political ‘exclusion of memories’ from Palestine’s past, opening up a new cultural dialogue surrounding the memory and identity of his people. Harb draws our attentions to the rarely seen reality of his country. A place he believes should not be characterised by the fate of the map, Harb uses archival items like coins and photographs to reestablish and re-present the notion of Palestine as a thriving social setting, a hub for culture, natural beauty, and innovation. The visual artist is unique in that he moves away from the tired creative clichés that position Palestine as a war-ravaged country. Harb has opened up a contemporary debate through intriguing collages that draw the viewer in and leave them questioning if all that they thought was true.

Palestinian artist Hazem Harb (born in 1980 in Gaza) currently lives between Rome, Italy and Dubai, UAE.