exhibition

Sakir Khader

Yawm al-firak / يَوْم الْفِرَاق

Sakir Khader is a Palestinian-Dutch visual artist. The exhibition Yawm al-firak / يَوْم الْفِرَاق (Farewell Day) honours the fallen under Israeli occupation since the Nakba (1948), highlighting the universal theme of bidding farewell. Khader’s unique and intimate access to Palestinian society allows him to capture the raw reality of conflict and loss in all of its facets.

About the exhibition

Khader's recent photographs and installations go beyond conventional artistic boundaries and challenge the viewer to think more profoundly about the inhumane impact of the nearly 80-year Israeli occupation of Palestine. The exhibition displays the 15.000 names of recent victims, seven of which are put on centre stage. Satellite images of Jenin's cemetery and refugee camp are connected to portraits of mothers and their perished sons by green lines to map their stories. The title Yawm al-firak / يَوْم الْفِرَاق (Farewell Day) is based on an 8th-century poem by Arab poet Abu Nuwas, a beloved classic which poignantly captures loss and farewell. This exhibition marks Khader's first solo exhibition in a museum context.

Grieving mothers. Jenin refugee camp, Palestine. June, 2023 © Sakir Khader/Magnum Photos.

About the artist

Sakir Khader (1990) is a Palestinian-Dutch visual artist. Khader's work focuses on the relation between life and death in conflict zones, especially across the Middle East. Known for his raw yet intimate cinematic signature style, Sakir always seeks to illuminate the poetic sorrows of everyday life. He has made several short films and his first documentary series The Ruins of Iraq was released in 2020. His documentary Obada was selected for a Golden Calf at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2021. In 2022, he won the Silver Camera Award for a photo of an 11-year-old Afghan boy selling his kidney to feed his family, and in 2023 he won again for his photo series The Life on the West Bank before 7 October. In 2024 Sakir Khader joined Magnum Photos as the first Palestinian photographer.

Portrait of a person holding an anonymous person close

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Sakir Khader

Yawm al-firak / يَوْم الْفِرَاق