"Form the Atlantic to the Gulf," an exhibit that highlights the unity of those from the Middle East and underscores their contributions to this vast region, from the East Cost of the United States to the West Coast of Africa to the Arabian Gulf. The exhibit opens with a reception as part of the gallery's monthly "First Friday" celebration.
WHO:
Kanaan Kanaan, visual artist (http://www.kanaankanaan.com/) will be joined by a variety of artists representing the Middle East by way of their heritage and/or type of art, including:
Bryan RuheDonn Anning JonesElan GerzonFarouq HassanHanan BuathabHaifa Al HabeebMohammed AlqubaisiSaadi Al-KaabiRawan AltaweelWafa AlqunibitZeina Hamady
WHEN:
The exhibit kicks off Friday, May 3, from 5-9 p.m., and continues through May 31.
WHERE:
North Bank Artists Gallery
1005 Main Street, Vancouver, Wash. 98660
360-693-1840/phone
Regular gallery hours are Thursday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Admission is always free.
http://northbankartistsgallery.com/?page_id=1933
http://northbankartistsgallery.com/?p=88
DETAILS:
What do you think of when you hear the phrase, "from the Atlantic to the Gulf?" The concept is broad and touches on several thoughts. This vast region indicates the many places that Middle Easterners have migrated to and shared their culture, from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf. The image promotes one of Arab unity and symbolizes the Pan Arab Nationalist movement. For Kanaan, the phrase also poses the questions of what the price is of this exchange in terms of oil shipped around the world from the Middle East, the cost to humanity as a whole because of it, the resulting environmental impact, the result of seeking cheaper resources, war and its devastation, and much more.
For the first time -- and possibly the first time ever, anywhere -- styrofoam will be used as part of the exhibit but in a new format. Kanaan has melted styrofoam -- a petroleum-based product -- and then used it as a new medium by which to "glaze" his art. The use of styrofoam, albeit as a new compound, underscores how two worlds are brought together through petroleum and the many shapes and forms that partnership can take. Styrofoam also illicits thoughts of recycling, reuse (in its new format), waste in our lives as a symbol of consumption…and how despite thousands of miles between the Atlantic and the Arabian Gulf, that people are very much the same with similar interests and needs.
Mr. Kanaan’s background is both interesting and diverse. He was born and raised in Amman, Jordan, in a Palestinian refugee camp. An artist by training, Kanaan studied at the College of Fine Arts at Baghdad University prior to immigrating to the U.S. in 1994. After moving to Portland, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and Graphic Design from PSU 1999, and in 2006, earned his Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Mixed Media from Warnborough University in Ireland.