26 June – 21 July 2018
Delfina Foundation produced Points of Departure, an exhibition that culminated a year of collaboration with ArtSchool Palestine, the British Council and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). Presented at the ICA, the exhibition was among the highlights of the 2013 Shubbak Festival in London (22 June – 6 July).
Points of Departure began as a set of thoughtful explorations into the phenomena of liminality. A condition in which one’s sense of identity is diffused, liminality leads not only to states of dislocation and disorientation, but also to new perspectives. From this starting point, all the exhibiting artists undertook research-orientated projects in the UK and Palestine, seeking to make meaning, and create new narratives, in response to urgent contemporary questions around nationalism and identity, history and place.
Points of Departure presented new commissions by Palestinian artists, Bashar Alhroub, Bisan Abu Eisheh, and UK artists Jeremy Hutchison and Olivia Plender – all of whom undertook eight-week residencies in London and Ramallah respectively. In relation to themes raised by the project and the works produced, the exhibition also featured a seminal work by Ramallah-based artists Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme. The exhibition was curated by Rebecca Heald with the support of Mirna Bamieh and exhibition design by Jan Pfeiffer.
Points of Departure included an extensive public programme of talks and events.