Water like tears, flour like soil is a group exhibition organised by ICD Brookfield Place Arts and Dar Jacir for Art and Research, an artist-led space in Bethlehem. As part of the ICD Brookfield Place Arts Program supporting local and regional creatives, the exhibition delves into themes of creation and transformation through the lenses of land, kinship, cultural resistance, and storytelling. Curated by Peruvian-American curator, researcher, and writer Camila Palomino, the show features works by over 17 Middle Eastern artists with strong connections to Dar Jacir. It is on display at ICD Brookfield Place until 4 December 2024.
The exhibition’s title is inspired by a saying highlighted in a performance by Palestinian artist Shayma Hamad: “Pour the water like tears upon the flour until it becomes like grains of soil”. This reflects the ritual of bread-making after a loss, a tradition rooted in Palestinian culture. Bread-making serves as a collective act of healing, where grief is transformed into a shared experience of remembrance. Bread becomes a vessel of memory, symbolising resilience and the sacred bond between body and earth.
In the exhibition, one can view pieces by Johannesburg-born artist and activist Adam Broomberg, who examines themes of conflict, power, and truth in contemporary society, and Palestinian artist and researcher Ahmed Al-Aqra, who explores daily life of the inhabitants in extraterritorial and extrajudicial territories.
Afro-Pindoramic artist Aline Baiana conducts extensive research on indigenous, ethnic, and feminist issues, as well as environmental and social justice matters. Jerusalem-born artist Dina Mimi investigates subjects regarding the body and passing away in the public sphere; notions of visibility in the relation of archaeology to the object; and protest as performance.
Irish video artist Duncan Campbell produces films which focus on particular moments in history. During his residency at Dar Jacir, he collaborated with Samer Albarbari to create Nothing Impossible (2018), a video in which he worked with Albarbari to restore a 1987 Peugeot 405 car.
In his practice, Palestinian artist Hazem Harb uses gauze to create pieces narrating stories of resilience. The exhibition displays his GAUZE شاش series (2023) that confronts viewers with the harsh realities faced by Palestinians. Artist Mohammed Al Hawajri documents life in Gaza through different media, reflecting unstable socio-political and economic conditions.
French artist and photographer Rafael Gonzalez draws inspiration from skateboarding culture, urban landscapes, and daily life. Together with Adam Broomberg, he has been photographing olive trees in Palestine as part of their project Anchor in the Landscape, which resulted in an eponymous book (MACK, 2024).
Conceptual and performance artist Shayma Hamad focuses on reclaiming Palestinian identity through food, dissecting traditional practices to reveal political and social dimensions. Meanwhile, Franco-Mexican dancer and choreographer Stéphanie Janaina‘s work explores fragility, challenging its feminisation.
The show also features pieces by award-winning Palestinian artist and filmmaker Emily Jacir, one of the directors of Dar Jacir for Art and Research. She is mostly interested in themes of transformation, resistance, displacement, exile, and silenced historical narratives.
In addition, the exhibition presents works by Palestinian performer and choreographer Mohanad Smama, Palestinian musician and sound artist Dirar Kalash, Andrea De Siena, Dina MaHar, Mohammed Hadia (Biishoss), and others.
About Dar Jacir for Art and Research
Dar Jacir is a 19th-century family home repurposed into an artist-run space in 2014. It serves as a hub for interdisciplinary learning, hosting artists and researchers from Bethlehem, Palestine, and beyond. Led by co-directors Emily Jacir and Aline Khoury, the initiative focuses on arts education, cultural exchange, and agricultural projects, fostering connections across generations and disciplines.
To get more information about Water like tears, flour like soil, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
In addition, you might be interested in visiting Between the Tides: A Gulf Quinquennial and Vantage Point Sharjah 12: If I Were Another.
