Join us from 6-8 PM on Friday, September 8, at Al-Bustan's Hub (3645 Lancaster Ave.) for the opening reception and artist for Thea Abu-El-Haj's Exhibit, "Excavating Memory." The exhibit will be open for view at the Hub from September 8, 2023 and October 27, 2023.
Location: 3645 Lancaster Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19104
Reception: Friday, September 8, 6PM - 8:30PM
View Dates: September 8 - October 27
Registration: Free
Artist Statement:
As a Palestinian American artist, my work excavates personal and collective narratives of loss, exile, and resistance, even as it celebrates the beauty and joy around us. I am drawn to the imprint of human history on the natural landscape. Growing up in Iran and Lebanon, and spending time with my family in Palestine, the colors, quality of light, and traces of millennia of human presence found there resonate through my work, even as the landscapes of the Northeastern U.S. where I have lived my adult life influence what I paint. Buildings and stone walls in the process of decay; light coming through dark and dark through light; the quality of color at different times of day are all sources for my work. These contemporary sources of inspiration meld with an embodied history of other places and other times that live on within me. I came to the U.S. to attend Swarthmore College, and after graduation moved to Philadelphia where I met my life partner, raised my children, completed graduate study, and still live. Now a Professor at Barnard College, Columbia University, I divide my time between Philadelphia, New York, and Vermont, teaching, researching and writing, and making visual art. I have a long history with Al-Bustan, as a teacher, researcher, advisor to the board, and parent of campers. I am honored to now be sharing my artwork with the community