In this space, five voices from the contemporary Middle East resonate—each with a radically personal form of remembrance, interiorization and resistance. Artists Amir Khojasteh, Samira Hodaei, Raouf Al-Ajouri, Charbel abou Zeidan, and Bilal Bahir do not present direct testimonies of conflict but translations of it: through the body, writing, collage, and silence.

Their works speak about preserving identity amid displacement, traces of violence without showing the violence itself, and the complexity of memory and hope. Rather than clear-cut statements, they present layered symbols that allow room for reflection—both for those connected to the region and those observing from afar.

Raouf Al-Ajouri (b. 1977, Gaza) paints figures with intense simplicity. Often children who silently carry the world with wide eyes. His work is poetic and raw at once.

Bilal Bahir (b. 1988, Iraq/Belgium) works with collage and text. His images stem from figures in philosophy and politics that began as utopias but turned into power. His work investigates where ideals falter.

Samira Hodaei (b. 1981, Iran) explores in her work the deep cultural and emotional connection between the people of southern Iran and the date palm, which has been severely damaged by war and ecological disasters in the Arvand Kenar region. The decapitated palms in her work become powerful symbols of loss, resistance, and the fragile interweaving of human and natural histories..

Amir Khojasteh (b. 1988, Iran/Belgium) depicts in his work a figure in a posture that refers to an ancient language of power and masculinity. He explores how this traditional expression of authority can be released and reshaped, resulting in a new image that no longer commands but invites.

Charbel abou Zeidan (b. 1978, Lebanon/Belgium)—an architect by training and former designer at Elie Saab—creates textile works blending graphic lines, architectural fragments, and Arabic calligraphy. Through this visual language, he explores hopeful aspects of migration, abstracting calligraphy into universal forms that connect cultures and experiences.