In a setting better known for its collections from Pharaonic Egypt and imperial China, the paintings by Harb and Joha — both from Gaza — more than hold their own. Their confident, accomplished work combines visual beauty with a questioning sensibility that is intellectually as well as aesthetically satisfying.

Harb’s contributions to the exhibition come from the Invisibility series. Several feature single or paired heads set amid washes of muted colors — grays, blues and greens. Are these lakes or deserts? Calm or drowning? All have a sense of detachment and loneliness, their identities often half-obscured.

Hazem Harb, the prominent Palestinian artist who has just sold a series of photographs to the British Musuem in London and was one of the installation artists who took pride of place in Athr Gallery’s booth at Art Dubai last month, will be painting live all weekend in Dubai.

As part of Dubai Art Season 2014, Harb is one of three international aritsts occupying the ‘Live Artist Window’ at The Beach, the new leisure destination on JBR.

Saudi artist Sami al-Turki discusses the event within the context of being a participant as well as an established practitioner of video art.

Walking through the exhibition, there was an incredibly diverse range of material on show, ranging from documentary footage, to staged ‘performances’ and videos expressing a comical and light-hearted tone. 

Athr Gallery stated that video (works) is an introduction to video art in the region, showcasing artworks by the likes of Ahmed Mater and his camera view of Jamrat (the stone throwing ritual in Hajj); Ziad Antar’s short art/documentary on the 2006’s war in Lebanon with a mixture of sounds and visuals; Adel Abidin’s commentary on war and pop culture; Hans Op De Beeck’s architectural video masterpiece “Staging Silence 2;” David Zink Yi’s street dance performance; and Sami Alturki’s protest on overwhelming advertising billboards in the region.

Hazem Harb: I use faces embodying the forgotten past like the history of Palestinian people which is in a state of complete oblivion.

In its seventh edition this year, Art Dubai hosted 75 galleries from 30 different countries showcasing the creative and artistic work of 500 artists. Saudi Arabia was represented by Athr Gallery.

One of Athr Gallery’s developers, Adnan Manjal, said that their aim is “to expose the portfolio of unique and talented artists to the rest of the world, beyond the boarder of the Middle East”. Manjal added about Athr’s participation in London’s International Art’13, “even though the Middle East is a crucial point of focus for the gallery, Europe is equally important as we strongly believe our artists are of the same calibre and yet unique… Although Athr Gallery has collaborated with London-based galleries on several exhibitions in the past, Art’13 was a perfect platform to introduce Athr Gallery’s artists to the London’s art fairs.”

In Art’13, Athr Gallery has presented a solo exhibition of the Palestinian artist Hazem Hareb’s series “Inside-Outside”, “Me and the Other Half” and the video installation “Impossible Travel”, which consisted of beautiful conceptual photos that expressed his protest against the deterioration of the quality of life in Palestine.