THROUGH THEIR EYES: a PhotoStory Exhibition of Yemen & Syria

A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.  Colin Powell

I'm so excited to announce to you all that Through their Eyes, the first ever Art Exhibition on behalf of the Arab Spring has finally come to Washington D.C.! Yesterday night, (June 11) was our Opening Reception and it was a tremendous success! 


For those who don't know much about what's going on, I have been pouring all my energy and time  to do a little something that would open up peoples eyes on the Arab Peoples Revolution. The "Arab Spring" is what they have been calling it and it  has swept across North Africa and the Middle East. The brutal regimes of Yemen & Syria have claimed the lives of hundreds, imprisoned thousands, and injured an untold number of peaceful protesters.


The Syrian government has banned all foreign media, and the Yemeni government has severely limited it. Internet and mobile communications are frequently disabled – in both countries – as a means of silencing the protesters but Freedom cannot silenced.


Something other than protests had to be done. Something unique  and  something that captures. Something educational, emotional and creative. So just as I was beginning to brainstorm, the idea of an ART EXHIBIT  came to mind. I quickly knew that it was the perfect idea. All I needed now was space. I reached out to a couple of others.  Sarah, a Yemeni-American who  I  knew personally,  a cousin and a dear friend.  Rafif and Myer,  both Syrian-Americans that I became acquainted with by protesting every Sat  in front of the white house. Together  we made this dream a reality.   

On June 11 2011 we held a photo exhibition to give these protestors a voice. Through facebook and twitter, we ran a photo competition so people on the ground can submit to us their photographs. After an overwhelming number of submissions,  we had 3 artists serve as judges to decide on the final 30 photographs for each country 

guests viewing the photos. 

"Due to the social network repression, these photos were obtained surreptitiously by the presenters of the exhibit "

The Wall of Thoughts: Supporters were encouraged to write anything that came to mind from prayers, thoughts, & even quotes dedicated to those in Yemen & Syria.

The Opening Reception was incredible!  I can't thank enough Afiaa Alwazir, Mawadda Alaswadi and Ibi Ibrahim, who not only served as judges but were also the ones behind the creative direction. Thank  you thank you thank you! The other half of the success is due to the tremendous amount of supporters who came out to see and support the show.  


The exhibition explores the role of art with a political content, taking you to the streets of Syria and Yemen directly and experiencing the peaceful resistance of the protesters. If you are ever around Washington D.C. please feel free to stop by MOCA DC (1054 31st st NW Washington D.C.) The exhibition will be running until  25th of June 2011. We plan on having the exhibition move to other cities-so stay  tuned & find out which city is next! 

 Yemen's photos with  the exception of one (Abdulrahman Jaber, a Professional Photographer) are through the eyes of Yemeni Woman

You can buy their photos online & 100% of the proceeds goes towards humanitarian aid via Yemen Peace Project.   Their photos tell a compelling story of the ongoing journey towards freedom, so please help and support. In the coming days,  pictures that have been chosen for display will be available to you for purchase online via Yemen Peace Project.  so please check back soon for updates on the photo(s). Thanks for all your support. Stay tuned :)

Quantity

1 $20.00 2 $40.00 3 $60.00