Rooted in Resilience
Artwork from the VIERNULVIER Collection
Artist: Hamza Abu Ayyash | PS | 2025
In September 2024, a major renovation of our monument began, which - among other things - involved taking care of our facade. VIERNULVIER invited Palestinian artist Hamza Abu Ayyash to design a site-specific artwork on the scaffolding. The work, covering an area of 500 square metres (18 metres high and 28 metres wide), was installed in early February 2025 and will be on display on the facade until the end of August 2025.
The project is not only an artistic work, but also an expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Bringing together calligraphic elements and flowering poppies, the artwork is an invitation not to remain indifferent to the suffering of war; in Palestine but also in other (often forgotten) conflicts worldwide.
Hamza Abu Ayyash is a Palestinian artist living in Jordan. He studied at KASK and calls Ghent ‘his home in Europe’. He sees this commission as an opportunity to show solidarity. The artwork transforms the facade of De Vooruit and calls for awareness and hope. The work explores themes of perseverance, remembrance and living amidst oppression. The inspiration for the canvas was Ghassan Zaqtan's poem ‘By Force of Habit’,
"This project is not just about making a visually powerful work, but using art as a tool for solidarity and connection. ‘Rooted in Resilience’ aims to strike an emotional chord with viewers and prompt them to reflect on the strength of those who resist displacement and the resilience of communities striving for justice and dignity."
- Hamza Abu Ayyash
Arts Centre VIERNULVIER wants to raise awareness about the situation in Gaza and Palestine and has done so in different ways. Since 7 October 2024, we have been projecting the number of people killed in Gaza on the side wall of De Vooruit every day. We were also involved in the organisation of ‘Eye on Palestine’.
Free postcards depicting the artwork and Ghassan Zaqtan's poem are available in our Café (while stocks last).
