Oh Big Blue

About

A four-day exhibition of stunning poetry, written and illustrated by children aged 9 to 17 from all across Palestine. The work, all produced during 2024, is a testament to hope and resilience.

All the poems are Palestinian entries to the poetry competition run by British educational charity, The Hands Up Project, in response to two paintings by Palestinian artists.

One painting of the sea was painted by Laila Mohammed, who escaped from Gaza the day before the Rafah crossing was closed last year. The sea is a sacred and important place in Gaza - it is Gaza's breathing place. It represents horizons, possibilities, freedom and hope and lends its name to this exhibition.

Many of these poems were written by children in Gaza, displaced, living in tents, under bombardment and siege, written in a second language, from a place of impossibility but full of courage, pride, tenderness, clarity and love.

At the Oh Big Blue Exhibition we hear and see directly from Palestinian children what it means to grow up during a time of genocide and what it means to live life under occupation.

This extraordinary collection includes poems by children from all over Palestine including Ramallah, East Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablus, Jenin and Gaza.

It is a chance to get to know Palestinian children just the way they are, as children, as souls, as beautiful, creative and expressive humans.

The exhibition is open daily and free of charge - 10am-4pm.