Tashabok is an ongoing, multilayered project by Lebanese Syrian artist Azza Zein that blends ficto-critical videos with relational drawing, sculpture, and storytelling. Since its inception in 2020, the project has evolved into a profound exploration of migration and the creation of alternative mapping systems. Through its collaborative approach, Tashabok leads to the formation of a counter-geography—an imaginative rethinking of spatial relationships, one that transcends traditional borders and redefines the movement of objects, people, and materials across time and space.
The current site-specific iteration at Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre is spread across two levels, in Gallery 1 and Gallery 2, including drawings on paper, video installations, brass cutouts, a collaborative sculpture, an interactive wall, and the use of organic matter such as soil and bentonite.
The collaborative sculpture is the result of a relational drawing session held in the lead up to the exhibition with Dandenong-based artists and participants Abhijit Pal (India), Alison Wheeldon (Australia), Art by TDR (India), Asad Ali (Pakistan), Fathiah Raihan (Singapore), Poppy Cook (Australia) and Tina Saba (Palestine), with videographer Claudia Pharès (Egypt, Canada, Vietnam).
The exhibition is on display at Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre from Tuesday 10 December 2024 to Friday 28 February 2025, accompanied by a series of public program events. These include a participatory performance by the artist on Saturday 7 December, featuring a live contribution by Lebanese music ensemble Tarabeat and a pop-up bakery offering by Lebanese and Middle Eastern food enterprise AB Bakery, Dandenong. On Saturday 1 February, an embroidery workshop led by Lebanese Australian artist Safa El Samad will provide a hands-on opportunity to engage with the themes of the exhibition, while a roundtable conversation on Saturday 22 February will launch the Tashabok publication. This event will feature the artist, participants from the Dandenong-based relational drawing sessions, and contributors to the publication, including artist and academic Andrew Goodman and writer Sherine Al Shallah.
Azza Zein: Tashabok is curated by Dr. Miriam La Rosa and presented by Greater Dandenong City Council.
Images: Azza Zein (Lebanon Syria), Abhijit Pal (India), Alison Wheeldon (Australia), Art by TDR (India), Asad Ali (Pakistan), Fathiah Raihan (Singapore), Poppy Cook (Austra-lia), Tina Saba (Palestine)Tashabok Collaborative Sculpture and hanging, mixed media, 2024.
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