Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture had its opening reception for its new monthly exhibit. The Arab community center hosted the reception, featuring the work of Ghada Khunji, an artist from Manama, Bahrain. Khada is a visual artist who creates still-life models featuring individuals wearing traditional Middle Eastern clothing and sculptures that honor classic Arab wardrobes. Ghada also specializes in photography and likes to focus on highlighting various aspects of identity as a woman. Her social media platforms showcase her work in the studios, both her art and her portraits. Ghada studies at the Parsons School of Design
The community center displayed her new exhibit, ‘The Dark Ages.’ Like some of her other work, she explores the complexity of the “human experience, exploring themes of identity, memory, and the passage of time,” using photographs and works of art. She utilized her subjects to reflect the image of Middle Eastern life using garments that showcase the reality of “cultural identity and the human condition.”
The exhibit also goes into the relationship between faith and religion and the idea of individual identity, looking at the intimate details of the connection between the two. Ghada appreciates how photography can capture that connection, and it was the focal point of the exhibit. Ghada shared with Al-Bustan that her pieces “are [her] self-portraits, like they always are, a reflection of myself and this World I encompass.”
Al-Bustan attempts to give a space for artists from the Middle East region of the world to showcase their works and share their stories. In a city as large and as diverse as Philadelphia, there doesn’t seem to be another space like the Arab community center that offers the same resources, so their work is significant. In doing so, they invite an assorted variety of experiences and give a platform to both aspiring and accredited artists.
Ghada’s art installation will be up for the rest of the month and can be viewed by the public at any time. Her other work can be accessed on her Instagram and website.
