Since October, members of JUST 614 have worked to organize protests and other direct actions meant to draw attention to the unfolding genocide in Gaza. Now, a new art exhibit spearheaded by Ashley Martin, Hani Ali and Tisha Lane serves as both an expansion on this mission and a chance for members to catch their collective breath in the midst of work that has at times been unrelenting.
“The show is to really acknowledge the intersection between Black and Palestinian liberation, and also as a reprieve for the amount of work that’s been done specifically in fighting for Palestinian liberation,” Martin said of the exhibit, and opening on Juneteenth (Wednesday, June 19) at . “It’s a way to remind people that Palestine exists, and it’s beautiful, and we should be celebrating their culture, as well.”
In conceiving the exhibition, organizers wanted to center themes of ancestry and liberation, and also to create a space in which the act of dreaming could be preserved. When people, and specifically children, endure traumatic events, Martin said, one of the first things lost is that sense of wonder in what is possible in this world.
“And for me, as an artist and a community member, it’s so important to me that we’re able to wonder, and that we’re able to have thoughts of a future that is different from what we’re currently experiencing,” she said. “So, we started asking what dreaming looks like for Black and Palestinian people. What is the dream of liberation? What is the dream of freedom? And how do we get there?”
Drawn from submissions made by artists based across central Ohio, “Souls from the Well” keeps a focus on these brighter days to come, while also holding space for the joy and beauty that exist currently in Black and Palestinian communities. The impact of this can be manifold, serving as a reminder of a Palestinian humanity that at times has been flattened or erased within certain media spaces, while also providing a needed balm to the horrific images that have continued to emerge from Gaza.
These various depictions of joy can also serve as an act of resistance, highlighting the ability of a people to continue to find beauty and hope in the face of horrific violence. “When I think about joy, it’s not often something we see on display as a culture, in general. A lot of times, our social media and the algorithm is pushing these sad, heavy stories,” Martin said. “So, when you see something joyful and blissful and happy, it’s like, oh, that exists.”
This, by extension, can reaffirm the perseverance and presence of entire peoples, particularly in the face of an ongoing campaign that has seen Palestinian universities, libraries and museums obliterated, and scores of Palestinian journalists killed. “You can’t change that I existed,” Martin said. “My story continues. And who I was here continues.”
, the Columbus-based Palestinian poet Sara Abou Rashed said a pull toward the light had emerged in some of the verses she started composing earlier this year as a means of countering the dark headspaces in which she occasionally lingered. In the poems that emerged, she said she started to explore themes like love, her words growing more lyrical, more musical, more hopeful as these expressions flowered. “I’ve always believed poetry can change the world,” Rashed said at the time, “and now I believe it even more.”
A number of the works on display in “Souls from the Well” appear to operate in a similar vein, the curators including gorgeous images of sunlit mosques by the photographer Hamza Arman alongside ecstatic snapshots of Black exuberance by . A number of the submissions also exist within the Afrofuturist realm, making the exhibition an ideal companion to “,” curated by Iyana Hill and April Sunami and currently on display at the neighboring Urban Arts Space.
Martin, for her part, defined Afrofuturism as the dismantling and abolishment of any and all limitations placed upon Black people. “It’s centered on being able to question the current systems of oppression and then to overcome them and liberate ourselves,” she said, going on to draw an immediate connection between the arts movement and the current fight for Palestinian liberation. “Our struggles are all linked, and I truly believe that none of us is free until all of us are free. … In Angela Davis’ Freedom Is a Constant Struggle, she writes specifically about how Palestinian and Black liberation is intertwined. And this is something I think about quite often, especially given the genocide.”
In discussing the role of an artist within these larger social justice movements, Martin hit upon a range of potential functions, from documentation to aspiration, with some artists capturing harsh realities and others creating images meant to evoke better days to come.
“It’s documenting what life looks like now, but also what it could look like,” she said. “Part of the talent with artists is how we look at the world, and then how we can dream differently about the world. And by sharing those stories, sharing those dreams, you can challenge other people to imagine a world outside of the one we live in now, and one that prioritizes community, prioritizes our well-being, and doesn’t neglect marginalized communities.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the exhibition was a joint effort between JUST 614 and Learn and Liberate. While former members of the Palestinian Liberation Movement (now Learn and Liberate) were involved in the curation, Learn and Liberate is not involved with this exhibition.
