Flood and Ebb مد وجزر

On Sunday October 25th is the opening of the photography exhibition 'Flood and Ebb' by Palestinian writer and artist Bisan Nateel, that traces the shifting colors and meanings of the sea as it embraces its people during a time of genocide.

Bisan lives and works in Gaza. PEN Nederland, the literary organisation for free literary expression, has paired Bisan with Dutch writer and theater maker Christine Otten, who is Bisans 'voice' here in the Netherlands. During the opening Christine will read from her letter exchange with Bisan. Chaja Polak, Jamal Ouariachi, Sobhi Khatib and Merel Gerretsen will read from a collection of short stories and poetry by young Palestinian writers, put together by Bisan.

Walk-in from 17:30. You could order dinner (e.g. freekeh, molokhyeh or the dish of the day) or grab a drink.

at 18:30 the event will start. noon will keep open an hour after the end of the show for late dinner people, or for hanging out.

The exhibition will be up from October 19 until November 8 during the working hours of noon 08:00-17:00 everyday.

The opening event will be on October 25th. entray is donation based. recommended amount 5€. seats are limited to 35.

Bios of event presenters

Chaja Polak (’s-Gravenhage, 1941) is an artist and writer. She has published acclaimed novels, stories and a collection of poetry. Her essay Thoughts on Israel and Gaza (2024) was much discussed in the media and translated into various languages. https://www.uitgeverijcossee.nl/auteur/chaja-polak-auteur

Jamal Ouariachi (Amsterdam, 1978) grew up, in his own words, quite ordinarily in a typical Dutch multicultural family. Attended the Barlaeus Gymnasium until he was kicked off. Jamal writes novels, essays and columns for newspaper Trouw.

Christine Otten (Deventer, 1961) is a writer and theater maker. Her novel The Last Poets was translated into English and Arabic. Otten has been leading a writing group in a Dutch prison for years now, and she is co-founder of writers collective Fixdit. She is currently working on a non-fiction book about her mother.

Merel Gerretsen (Meyrin, 1994) is a writer. Her debut novel about a land surveyor who questions the concept of land as property will be published by Nijgh & Van Ditmar, probably in 2027.

Sobhi Khatib (Nazareth, 1985) is a storyteller, activist and maker. Sobhi’s most recent adventure is founding noon coffee & culture. He is a also a trainer and consultant on communications and strategy. To name a few of his clients (over 300 organizations): Amnesty International, United Nations and Netflix.