Zawyeh Gallery in Dubai is currently home to The Land and I, a solo exhibition by renowned Palestinian artist Nabil Anani. Known for his devotion to painting landscapes over the past 20 years, Anani’s work reflects his deep connection to the land. The exhibition, running through 12 January 2025, portrays the Palestinian landscape as central to his identity and that of his people.
Visitors are welcome to explore Anani’s vibrant, textured paintings that celebrate his vision of Palestine. Employing natural materials (wood, straw, dried herbs, quinoa, etc.), Anani infuses his art with the physical elements of the land. This approach not only roots his work in the materiality of the earth but also serves as a form of resistance, reclaiming the Palestinian landscape from colonial erasure. His paintings delve into themes of attachment, belonging, and continuity, asserting the land’s pivotal role in Palestinian existence.
For Anani, the land and its people are inseparable, forming a unified entity with a shared history, present, and future. The landscapes he paints bear witness to the Palestinian struggle for freedom, representing resilience and hope. By blending the human and natural realms, Anani reimagines Palestine as a living being: a testament to the unbroken bond between geography and its people.
The artist’s work highlights an organic, spiritual relationship between Palestinians and nature, one disrupted by decades of destruction. Through his art, Anani highlights this connection as a powerful form of resistance, portraying the land not just as a setting but as an active participant in the Palestinian narrative.
About the artist
Nabil Anani (b. 1943, Latroun, Palestine), a pioneering figure in contemporary Palestinian art, resides in Ramallah (Palestine). He graduated from the School of Fine Arts in Alexandria (Egypt) (1969) and earned a Master’s degree in Islamic Archeology from Al-Quds University in Jerusalem (1989). Upon his return to Palestine, Anani taught art at Al Tireh College and the United Nations Training College in Ramallah. In 1973, he co-founded the League of Palestinian Artists, later serving as its head in 1998. Anani was also instrumental in establishing the first International Academy of Fine Art in Palestine.
A multidisciplinary artist, Anani explores painting, ceramics, and sculpture. He is recognised for his innovative use of local materials, including leather, henna, natural dyes, papier-mâché, beads, and copper. He has also co-authored several books on Palestinian arts and folklore.
Since his first exhibition in Jerusalem in 1972, Anani has showcased his work in numerous exhibitions worldwide, including The Bunker Artspace: Collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody (The Bunker Artspace, West Palm Beach, USA, 2023); Masters of Palestinian Art, the season I (International Art Colony, Budapest, Hungary, 2016); Spirits of the Land (solo) (Art on 56th Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon, 2013); and Palestinian Art Exhibition (Parliament Hall, Madrid, Spain, 1990), among many others.
Anani’s creations are part of multiple public and private collections, such as The Barjeel Art Foundation (Sharja), The Mathaf, Arab Museum of Modern Art (Doha, Qatar), Guggenheim (New York, USA), and Tate Modern (London, UK), to name a few. Among his accolades, Anani received the A. M. Qattan Foundation Prize in 2018, the King Abdullah II Arab World Prize for Fine Art in 2006, and the Palestinian National Prize for Visual Art in 1997 (awarded by Yasser Arafat).
To get more information about The Land and I, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
In addition, you might be interested in visiting Game Over. Let’s Stop Now., Turkish artist Elvan Alpay’s solo show.
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