Utstilling

Avgang 2025: Mohamed Jabaly: My tent is not a shelter

The tent refers to the practice of living in temporary outdoor shelters. It is a portable structure, typically made of fabric or cloth and supported by one or more poles. However, during times of war, the meaning of a tent changes significantly. It becomes a fragile space that offers little safety or protection, not from the biting cold of the harsh winter nights or the threat of falling bombs.

At the time of writing this, a ceasefire took place after 471 days of genocide on Gaza, our loved ones—families and friends—have been forced to live in unsafe shelters. These temporary homes are nothing more than tents covering the streets, with the sky as their roof and fragile fabric as their doors with no protection. Many of these shelters were supposedly located in safe zones, but they turned out to be anything but safe, becoming targets for the relentless war machine that claimed innocent lives.

Tents have become a symbol within the history of Palestine, representing the Nakba of 1948. Even after 76 years of ongoing displacement, people are forced to leave their homes to the unknown, moving around with their handmade tents at the cost of life.

Through my tent, I aim to express my life within this fragile structure and share my experiences from the past 15 months. It also serves as a powerful symbol for my people, who are still living in tents over the rubble of their destroyed homes. I have created my own tent, stitching it by hand using my own clothes. In this tent, I incorporate the sounds of drones that are designed to have psychological torture on the residents of Gaza, who have been living under constant surveillance by Israeli forces for the past 18 years. The enclosed space will simulate the sounds of Israeli aircraft hovering over Gaza, allowing the visitors of my tent to understand how even the smallest moments of life, such as having coffee, are affected by these conditions.

I invite you to immerse yourself in my tent and this experience and feel it for yourself. A tent of my own, a world stitched by hand using my clothes and more.

Mohamed Jabaly is a Palestinian filmmaker and artist from Gaza City who uses his films to shed light on the realities of life in Gaza. His work is deeply personal, reflecting the challenges faced by Palestinians under Israeli occupation, and has garnered international recognition. Jabaly’s documentaries, including his acclaimed works Ambulance and Life is Beautiful, have won numerous awards and provided a platform for Palestinian voices on the global stage

https://www.mohamedjabaly.com/my-tent-is-not-a-shelter.html

Instagram: @Jabalymohamed

Opening: February 21st 2025 at 18:00 (with coffee and snacks)
Exhibition: 21-28 February 2025
KHiO's Lobby 

MFA graduation projects

The final year Master students will present individual graduation projects in different spaces at KHiO and around Oslo. These projects will be diverse in form and will take place at different times during the spring semester. Some of the projects will open simultaneously. The graduating students will also collectively explore the group format in a curated group exhibition.