Taysir Batniji’s site-specific performative installation Hannoun at the Jameel Art Centre reconstructs a room mirroring the exact dimensions of his now-inaccessible studio in Gaza. The studio, completed in 2001, was a creative space for Batniji until border closures in 2006 barred his return. Since then, it has remained abandoned and was recently bombed by the Israeli occupation army amid the ongoing conflict.
Hannoun draws inspiration from a childhood memory in 1972 when Batniji, avoiding schoolwork, spent time sharpening pencils. The installation’s floor is covered with red pencil shavings, leading to a photograph of his Gaza studio. These shavings, reminiscent of a field of poppies, symbolise the Palestinian flag’s colours and are closely tied to the memory of martyrs.
This installation serves as both an intimate space for meditation and a symbolic threshold that remains uncrossable. It continues themes prevalent in Batniji’s performative work, including memory, erasure, non-being, and the cycles of destruction and reconstruction.
Hannoun is a multifaceted piece, featuring elements such as a colour photograph printed on poster paper, measuring 100 x 150 cm, and pencil shavings with dimensions that vary according to the installation space. The piece subtly nods to the Impressionist idea of leaving the studio to engage with the world outside. Yet, here, the poppy field exists only in the symbolic realm of Batniji’s studio. It represents a temporary landscape, observed as if in a dream, from an unreachable threshold—mirroring the studio in Gaza, a place once fertile with creativity but now rendered inaccessible and destroyed.
The work embodies the symbolism of the poppy, often associated with the memory of those who have died for freedom. It also reflects Batniji’s childhood act of obsessively sharpening pencils, a seemingly futile gesture that captures the traces of potential creation rather than a finished product.
About Taysir Batniji
Taysir Batniji lives and works between Paris and Palestine. He graduated in arts from Al-Najah University, Palestine (1994), and the School of Fine Arts of Bourges, France (1997). His multimedia practice, including drawing, installation, photography, video, and performance, often reflects themes of impermanence and fragility, inspired by personal experiences and historical events. Batniji has exhibited in prominent biennials and institutions like the Berlin Biennale (2022) and Venice Biennale (2011, 2009, 2003). Recent solo exhibitions include Mathaf (2022) and MAC VAL (2021). He has received the Hermès Foundation’s Immersion residency (2017) and the Abraaj Group Art Prize (2012).
Location: Galleries, Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai
Dates: 21 April – 18 August