Occupied Pleasures at East Wing Gallery

2013 Emergency Fund grantee Tanya Habjouqa will be exhibiting photographs from her project Occupied Pleasures at the East Wing Gallery in Dubai from May 20 - July 10, 2014. Habjouqa was awarded the EF grant to continue her work exploring everyday pleasures in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that arise in the face of encumbering political and economic conditions.

With grace and wit, Habjouqa lifts a stone left unturned by western media. She explains, “The Palestinian visual narrative, as represented in western media, is often portrayed through a narrow prism. Despite the inability of Palestinians to maintain and sustain a normal way of life, and amidst this jarring reality, men, women and children often manage to steal moments of simple joys–quirky, modest occasions of happiness that range from taking a spin on a merry go-around to riding horses, or imagining a tropical adventure all the while standing against a colorful backdrop with a live parakeet in a simple studio in a refugee camp.”

A young boy attempts to bathe his reluctant donkey in the sea, directly beside his home on the outskirts of Gaza’s Deir al-Balah Refugee Camp. His family barely makes a living tied to menial labor with their horse and donkey. Bathing the animals is an excuse to splash around in the sea. (photo by Tanya Habjouqa, 2013)

The opening reception will take place at 7:00pm on May 20, 2014. 

For more information please contact the East Wing Gallery.