‘Om/Mother

‘Om/Mother is a participatory project showcasing photographs taken by Palestinian women and girls from the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood of Hebron, Palestine.  The photos were taken in September 2023, shortly before the Hamas attack of 7 October and the Israeli bombings in Gaza and the West Bank, which claimed tens of thousands of lives. 

​

In just a few short weeks, nearly fifty women from eight families created an archive of more than a thousand colourful photographs that capture daily life in their occupied city. Using analogue cameras, they built an impressive archive of images that depict intimate family scenes at home and how staying in Hebron has become a quiet act of resistance. The images reveal what is often left unseen. With tenderness, they show how people strive to preserve everyday routines in an occupied village and how a sense of community exists even there. Photography is the glue that binds these women together and the project has helped them form a close-knit community. The photos were compiled into a book by Barbara Debeuckelaere, with all proceeds going back to the women of Tel Rumeida.

​

Featuring work by: ‘Om Abdul, Abeer, Ahed, ‘Om Ahmad, Aroub, Aseel, Awatif, Ayla, Aysha, Barbara, Dallal, ‘Om Emad, Eman, Eylul, Fatima, Gina, Hayam, ‘Om Hazem, Jana, Janat, Jory, Julia, Kawthar, Kawthar, Lamar, Layan, Lojain, Maram, ‘Om Muntasser, Nidaa, Ola, Qais, Qamar, Rahaf, Sarah, Shahd, Sham, Shirihan, Siline, Soundos, Sundus, ‘Om Tamer, ‘Om Wisam, ‘Om Yusuf, Zaina, Zainab 

​

Tel Rumeida is a village in H2, an area of Hebron under Israeli military control. Hebron is the only place in the West Bank with an Israeli settlement in the heart of a Palestinian city. The freedom of Palestinian residents was already severely limited by countless road closures and checkpoints, restricted access to healthcare, and minimal public services. Since October 2023, this situation has worsened dramatically. A third of the homes in Tel Rumeida now stand empty, as many residents have either been killed or forced to flee. 

​

Two photographers in the project – ‘Om Wisam and Nidaa – will travel from Tel Rumeida to Belgium to attend a public event during the exhibition's opening weekend.