Palestinian Paintings exhibition launched

Crowds flocked to Fountain Street Community Centre for the launch of a special exhibition entitled, ‘The Palestinian Paintings’.

Altogether, around 40 people were in attendance for the launch, which included local political representatives, Orfhlaith Begley MP and West Tyrone MLA, Maoliosa McHugh. Dr Joseph O’Neill from the group, Interfaith for Palestine were also in attendance.

The paintings, by acclaimed Israeli-Jewish artist Zohar, were brought to Fountain Street by Dr O’Neill, and they depict the sometimes brutal life in Israel and Palestine. The 12 paintings on display are depictions taken from authentic pictures.

Aodhan Harkin of Fountain Street explained, “We had a very successful launch, and those in attendance showed immense interest in the subject matter, with our speakers saying how important it is that the pictures are here on display and also talking about the comparisons between that situation and our own here in Ireland.”

The paintings on display included, ‘Palestinian Woman’, referring to actions of the Israeli regime to destroy Palestinian homes, ‘Child On Bus’, depicting a child on their way into the disputed Gaza strip, ‘Refugee Crowds’, a homage to the refugees in the area, ‘The New Home’, featuring a family living in a tent after a bomb destroyed their home and ‘The Three Heroes’ which shows three Israeli soldiers arresting a Palestinian child protesting against what she sees as the military occupation of her land.

‘The Palestinian Paintings’ will be on display in the Fountain Street Community Centre until the New Year, and anyone interested in viewing them is welcome to attend.