16 April 2024
Rehaf Al Batniji
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Rehaf Al Batniji (born 1990, Gaza) is a self-taught photographer and visual artist whose art focuses on street photography. Featured in local and international exhibitions, she was awarded the Cité internationale des arts residency. Through street photography’s prism, she attempts to unveil life’s multifaceted stories, asserting colour as resistance to depict Gaza’s vibrancy amid adversity. Photography trainer, she extends her skills to young and adult aspiring photographers across Gaza.
For When Solidarity Is Not a Metaphor, Rehaf Al Batniji is presenting a series of photographs entitled On October 6th 2023 (2023).
On October 6th 2023 is a collection of five images that captures Sea Street in Gaza City, frozen in that significant moment—an endless day of upheaval and uncertainty, forever imprinted in memory. As the world evolves, these photos arrest time, encapsulating a profound moment of stasis amidst change.
Across the collection, the sea, a constant beacon during chaos, emerges as more than just water. For over twenty-five years, it has been a lifeline and companion, witnessing the collective Gazan journey through joy, sorrow, solitude, and unity. Yet, beneath its calm surface, it narrates a narrative of struggle and resistance. Once a synonym for freedom now symbolises the confinement and the constraints we face. Still, it continues to inspire, inviting exploration and new beginnings.
These images chronicle resilience and spirit as a new course is chartered through uncertainties. With each frame a path is forged through the wreckage of the past.
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