Mastodawn

'This work by Bahia Shehab is a graphic interpretation of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s poem You Are Forgotten As If You Never Existed, the direct translation of the mural is “Bear witness that I am free and alive”. Bahia painted this mural with volunteers who are specifically interested in this topic.⁠
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The poem invites viewers to recognise the human ideals of freedom and dignity. Bahia asks you to bear witness to the atrocities being committed against other fellow humans and to testify that our collective humanity and resilience is “free and alive.” The Arabic text in white is painted against a large watermelon. The mural is a stanza in Arabic from the poem, «You are forgotten, as if you never existed» by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. The mural was painted for the city of Aberdeen by the artist and members of the community as part of the Nuart Aberdeen festival in 2024.⁠
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Bahia Shehab is an artist and author based in Cairo. She is a Professor of Design and founder of the graphic design program at The American University in Cairo where she developed a full design curriculum focused on the visual culture of the Arab world. She frequently lectures internationally on Arab visual culture and design education, peaceful protest, and Islamic cultural heritage. Her work is concerned with identity and preserving cultural heritage. Through investigating Islamic art history she reinterprets contemporary Arab politics, feminist discourse and social issues.⁠' @nuartaberdeen June 14, 2024
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2022 Interview (video 25m59s) https://youtu.be/TdoMZL-QkLo?si=ufVEyx2uIQJMP3z9
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Artist website: https://bahiashehab.com
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