Rehab Nazzal is a Palestinian-born multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[1]
Rehab Nazzal | |
|---|---|
| رحاب نزال | |
| Born | Palestine |
| Education |
|
| Known for | Video artist, photographer, Sound artist |
Biography
editNazzal holds a PhD in art and visual culture from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, an MFA from Ryerson University, Toronto, a BFA from the University of Ottawa, and a BA in Economics from Damascus University, Syria.[2][3]
Nazzal is the sister of Khaled Nazzal who was assassinated by the Israeli forces in 1986.[4]
Work
editNazzal uses sound, video and the photographic image in her work to present contemporary war technology and its destructive effect on civilians, residential dwellings, infrastructures, and the environment.[5] Often, her work creates immersive environments that represent the tragic conditions in Palestine with previous bodies of work centered on Gaza, the Negev Prison and the village of Bil’in.[5][6]
Nazzal's 2014 exhibition Invisible at the Karsh-Masson Art Gallery on the ground floor of city hall in Ottawa was publicly condemned by Israel's ambassador to Canada, Rafael Barak. The exhibition included images of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, among other art pieces that portray the West Bank and Gaza.[7]
Invisible featured four videos and 1,700 photographs. One video, Bil'in, was about Nazzal's experience in the village of Bil'in where Palestinians and members of international solidarity movements were physically attacked by the Israel Defense Forces during a weekly protest against land confiscation. Nazzal kept the sound intact and reconstructed the image to "represent the feeling of being suffocated and blinded by tear gas."[8] Another video, Target, consisted of over 127 flashing images of Palestinians who were extrajudicially assassinated across the world or in occupied Palestine. Nazzal edited the images to flash quickly as a formal choice to represent the fact that these individuals's lives were cut short.[8]
In 2010, ''Divide'', a solo exhibition of Nazzal's photographs was on display at Gallery 101 in Ottawa.
In 2014 Nazzal's work was exhibited at the Art Gallery of Mississauga. The exhibition, titled Visible, was an immersive installation using found images alongside sound and video works that confronted viewers with the destruction wrought by the violence in Gaza.[9][4]
In 2012, Nazzal's work was exhibited in, A Refusal of Images, a group show at A Space Gallery, in Toronto curated by Vicky Moufawad-Paul.
In 2023, Nazzal's work was also included in the group exhibition The Willful Plot at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery alongside works by Derya Akay, Vivienne Bessette, Gabi Dao, Derek Jarman, Charmian Johnson, Glenn Lewis, Mike MacDonald, and Dana Qaddah. Nazzal's works in the exhibition included the documentary Canada Park (2015) and the photography series We, the Wild Plants and Fruit Trees (2022).[10]
Nazzal has exhibited her work internationally, including at the International Yellowknife Film Festival, Montreal Palestine Film festival, SAW video for the Media Arts, International Mini Print Festival, Gallery 101, and Ottawa X-photography Festival.
Nazzal has received numerous awards and grants including Edmund and Isobel Ryan Visual Arts award in photography, University of Ottawa, Documentary Photography for Social Justice Award, Ryerson University, Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Ryerson University Scholarship.
In 2024 her film Vibrations from Gaza won the award for Best Short Film at the 2024 BFI London Film Festival,[11] and was a Prix Iris nominee for Best Short Documentary at the 26th Quebec Cinema Awards.[12]
Shooting
editIn December 2015, Nazzal was shot in the leg by a sniper while in Israel, photographing activities of the Israeli Defense Force.[13][14][15]
References
edit- ^ "Artist Vtape". www.vtape.org. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ "Artist | Vtape". www.vtape.org. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- ^ Rehab Nazzal (17 May 2018). "Representation of Settler Colonial Violence in Palestine, A Thesis in support of the multi-media exhibition Choreographies of Resistance". Western University. The University of Western Ontario. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ a b Petrou, Michael (23 May 2014). "Rehab Nazzal's politically-charged art exhibition at Ottawa City Hall". Macleans.ca. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Rehab Nazzal: Visible – Faculty of Communication & Design – Ryerson University". www.ryerson.ca. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ "Ottawa Dispute Stresses Role of Art in Public Realm – Canadian Art". Canadian Art. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ "Palestinian artist Rehab Nazzal talks to crowd about controversial exhibit, artistic freedom". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ a b Miriam Katawazi (8 July 2014). "Reflections on Invisible: An Interview with Rehab Nazzal". rabble.ca. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ "Past Exhibitions: Rehab Nazzal Visible November 6 2014 – January 1 2015". Art Gallery of Mississauga. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ "The Willful Plot". Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Lanre Bakare, "‘Emotionally resonant’ animation wins top prize at London film festival". The Guardian, October 20, 2024.
- ^ Éric Lavallée, "Prix Iris 2024: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Leads “Quebec Oscars” Noms". Ioncinema, October 9, 2024.
- ^ "Israeli Forces Allegedly Shoot Artist – artnet News". artnet News. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ "Artist Rehab Nazzal Shot in West Bank – Canadian Art". Canadian Art. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ "Artist who caused protests in Ottawa shot in Bethlehem". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 21 January 2016.