Holy Land by Taqi Sabateen
December 12 – December 31, 2015
Zawyeh Gallery
Taqi Sabateen’s first solo exhibition Holy Land (Zawyeh Gallery, Ramallah, 12 – 31 December 2015), provides a unique and very important perspective on the current state of the Palestinian countryside and environment. The collection of 25 new works is largely a celebratory body of work and is testimony to the beautiful and extremely varied nature of the Palestinian landscape.
The stone terraces, vineyards and olive groves peppered with almond and apricot blossom; juxtaposed with the rugged terrain of the Hebron hills and the Jordan valley – simply and brilliantly captured by Sabateen – make Palestine a truly remarkable piece of land. His realist style and the rawness of his method offer a harmonious, balanced and timeless feel to many of his paintings.
Sabateen’s desire to study and practice art has stemmed from his relationship with the land of his ancestors. His birthplace of Husan and nearby Battir are part of a phenomenal tract of land that is considered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site which is at risk. His work is a solid addition to the well established genre of Palestinian landscape painting. While many young Palestinian artists have diversified in styles and techniques, Sabateen’s current work – personified by delicate strokes and near perfect depictions – provides a timely reminder that landscape painting practiced well has a profound place in the ever increasing catalogue of modern Palestinian art.
While Holy Land is primarily a celebration of Palestine’s beauty, a number of Sabateen’s paintings also illustrate the tragic and abhorrent destruction of its unique topography. The incessant construction of settler colonies, the separation wall and bypass roads underpin Israel’s expansionist colonial project. What is particularly damning is that much of the damage is irreversible and nearly 50 years of occupation has meant the tragic loss of Palestinian people’s lives and livelihoods, coupled with the destruction of their land and environment. Historically, Palestinian villages have seamlessly nestled into the countryside, often hidden in olive groves and vineyards. Today, much of the West Bank hills have been permanently scarred and taken over by alien structures to accommodate Jewish settlers.
Holy Land is a very important pictorial testimony to the splendor of the Palestinian countryside and the colossal damage that has been caused by the occupation and Israel’s macabre colonial project.
Sulieman Mleahat
Taqi Sabateen Palestinian Art Taqi Sabateen Palestinian Art
- Taqi Sabateen, Al Salamiya, 2015 Acrylic on canvas, 130 x 150 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Majdala, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 87 x 87 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, View from Jarzim Mountain, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 140 x 170 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Doma, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 50 x 60 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Abo Dees, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 140 x 170 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Majeddo, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 104 x 148 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Hosan, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 75 x 150 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Gaza, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 110 x 80 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Dome of the Rock, 2015 Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 180 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Batir, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 130 x 150 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Al Eizariya, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 80 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Abo Shosheh, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 110 x 80 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Olive Field, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 80 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Jordan River, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Al Walajeh, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 126 x 150 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Al Qastal, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 158 x 254 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Halhoul, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 130 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Sabastya, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 155 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Untitled, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 150 x 130 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Wadi Al Nar II, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 101 x 104 cm
- Taqi Sabateen, Wadi Al Nar II, 2015, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 155 cm
Further Information:
- Works available by Taqi Sabateen via Artsy
- For inquiries and questions contact us