A Sea for Borrowed Time

A Sea for Borrowed Time draws on selections from the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection to explore the diversity of Palestinian artistic practice across several generations. While some of the artists were born in Palestine, others have experienced exile or become part of communities whose histories are deeply connected to the wider Levant. Together, their works examine the lived realities of occupation and displacement, considering questions of belonging, inheritance, grief and cultural survival. 

The visual languages of artists Abdul Hay Mosallam Zarara, Basma Al Sharif, Hazem Harb, Khalil Rabah, Shadi Habib Allah, Rula Halawani, Simone Fattal and Tarek Al-Ghoussein address events that continue to shape Palestinian life. Rather than presenting a chronological history, their works move between testimony, lived experience and imagination. Across photography, sculpture, installation and moving image, they reveal how art can preserve memory and sustain connections to people and place despite political fragmentation.

Organised by IMMA in partnership with Sharjah Art Foundation, A Sea for Borrowed Time is curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation; with Seán Kissane, Curator Exhibitions IMMA; Reem Sawan, Curatorial Assistant, and Souraya Kreidieh, Senior Researcher, Collection Department; assisted by Aisling Clark, Exhibitions Fellow, IMMA.