Intifada
(The Uprising) | 1990 | oil on canvas | 81 x 71 cm
Ahmad
Nawash
Ahmad Na’wash was fourteen years old when he was forced with
his family to leave his native village of ‘Ain Karem... Overnight,
the young Na’wash had to abandon the security of his ancestors'
home and village after it fell under fire. Together the members
of his family and fellow villagers were overwhelmed by panic.
After days of walking, they finally reached Jericho and from
there each family sought its ultimate safety beyond the Jordan
River. In Jordan, Na’wash was to begin a life filled with
trepidation, doubt, grief, and protracted waiting for a return
back home.
As soon as the young artist found in drawing and painting
his means of self-expression and throughout his maturation
as a visual artist, all his works appeared to reflect the
traits of an absurd world of beings that was possessed by
the horrific images that were first etched in the mind of
that village boy. His obsession with his own way of telling
and his obstinate persistence may unlock the secret to his
career, for through his distinctive representational language,
Na’wash managed to construct a narrative panorama that embodied
the subliminal experience of a personal nightmare. Through
visual expression, Na’wash never stops to weave narratives
that recount a child’s earliest experiences of panic, loss
and the irremediable state of despair.
Kamal
Boullata (excerpts)
|
press
clips