Alle Ghadban explains the high points of Dalah Fayrouni's oil painting "Three Religions One Holy Land" to his son, Michael, 8, at AFSC-LA exhibition. (Photo by Samir Twair)
By Pat McDonnell Twair, Contributing Editor, and
Samir Twair, Staff Writer
Nine Southland artists are featured in a “Colors of the Arab World” themed exhibition which runs through Nov. 12 at American Friends Service Committee-Los Angeles, 634 S. Spring St. Many were on hand for a July 9 reception opening the show.
Two of the exhibitors, Reem Hammad and Paul Batou, also are writers and read from their works along with poet Vivien Sansour.
Paul Batou with his painting, entitled "Graveyard."
Batou, who was born in Iraq and holds a degree in pharmacy from the University of Baghdad, began exhibiting his art work in 1980. He served as a medic during the Iran-Iraq War and immigrated with his family to Los Angeles in 1989. My Last Thoughts of Iraq is the title of his book of poetry published by Xlibris in 2007. He read his poem, “Identity.”
I am not Assyrian, or Chaldean or Akkadian.
I am not a Christian or Muslim or Buddhist.
I am human.
I was born in Mesopotamia, Uruk, Nippur, Shuruppak,and Sippar.
I am a son of Enlil, Shamash, and Gilgamesh.
I am a son of Ishtar, Ea, and Nunsun.
I was killed once by a flood,
And a million times by a creature,
Called human,
Called a country.
I was killed by a nation,
Or United Nations.
Sansour, who was born in Bethlehem, is active in youth theater. She read from her most recent poem, “Stolen Pomegranates”:
I wish to forget
Then I wish to remember.
I save pieces of an old dress
A stone
And then I cry forgetfulness
Never want to forget the smell of the press
Figs in August
And the seedlings of fakous
Straight from Beit Sahour
I wish I could forget
And so I remember in details
You gave me a stone
From el lid you said
My mother’s home town
She walked three days and three nights
No luggage
No gold just this stone
I give it to you so you may never forget.
Reem Hammad displays her wheel-thrown plate, "Birth of a star." (Photo by Samir Twair
Hammad, who is a native of the Syrian city of Aleppo, holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from UCLA read from her work, entitled “Jasmine,” which was published this year in the anthology, Sisters Singing (Wild Girl Publishing).
Ceramics by Hammad, who is president of International Muslimah Artists Network (IMAN), on view in the exhibition include a group of wheel-thrown vases entitled “Whirling Sextet.” Each of the pieces was altered under high fire glazes to simulate the movements of dervishes.
“Native American Inspiration” is the title Hammad selected for a burnished coil-built bowl of earthenware clay fired in a low fire kiln. A favorite of the reception crowd was Hammad’s wheel-thrown and carved plate named “Birth of a Star” which features an eight-pointed star.
Other participating artists are Sam Hassan, Brien Biery, Dalah Faytrouni, Muhammadi Zuhal Karamanli, Gary Simpson, Rev. Wilfredo Benitez and Omar Yashruti. For information on exhibition hours, please call 213 489-1900.
Published in The Independent Monitor September 2009 issue.
