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 January,
2004
Images and Words reflections of Ireland and Venice
By
Hada Sarhan
 Amman
Ð Photographs by novelist and poet Ibrahim Nasrallah are currently
on display at The Khalid Shoman Foundation - Darat Al Funun.
The photos, depicting abstract images of reflections on water
in Venice and Ireland, were taken when the novelist was in
Ireland last year for a literary meeting with academic and
cultural institutions organised by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity
Campaign. Nasrallah was also the guest of honour at the Fondamenta
of Venice.
"The eye-catching landscapes and the stunning details of nature
captured my mind and heart," said the 49-year-old poet. "Images
and Words" features 55 photos in both black and white and
colour, are close-ups of landscapes of moments suspended in
time, highlighting the natural, charming beauty of Italy and
Ireland. Abstraction, according to Nasrallah, is a means of
honestly expressing the uniqueness of one's spirit and mind.
"Nasrallah has succeeded in transforming ordinary things around
us into extraordinary images," said the poet Yousef Abdul
Aziz. "He shares his passion for nature by revealing the serene
beauty of unspoiled areas that we all yearn to visit, but
rarely see," added Abdul Aziz.
For Nasrallah, director of cultural and literary activities
at Darat Al Funun, photography is an artistic empowerment
to his writings, seeking to establish the interrelationship
between the word and the image. "Photography is among our
principal ways of making sense of this world, exactly like
novels and poetry," said Nasrallah, who has established 13
collections of poetry and 10 novels.
For him photography is a means of communicating with others
"an expression of my insights and emotions in images. I like
to convey them to others." Nasrallah, who participated in
'Writers Who Paint' in 1993 and 'The Autobiography of an Eye'
in 1996 two photo exhibitions held in Amman believes that
the awakening of one's insight was the key of good artistic
work.
"My first contacts with photography were spontaneous, immediate
and exciting, like falling in love at first sight," said the
artist. Nasrallah explained that he takes his time in scouting
out locations and deliberates on the best angle, light and
composition.
Nasrallah has won seven prizes for his literary works: 'The
Best Book of the Year Award' in 1980, 1982 and 1984; 'The
Arar Poetry Award' for his complete works in 1991; The Najeeb
Mahfouth Prize' (Egypt) for his novel 'Just the two of us'
and the UAE Literary Award,' for Arab poetry.
Many of his works have been
translated to other languages, including English, French,
German and Spanish. The exhibition can be seen through Feb.19/2004.
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