British-Arab conceptual photographer Sami Haven celebrated the opening of his new venue Jasmine House Art & Food in Amman with a unique exhibition fittingly titled "Yasmine of Gaza."
On Sunday, the opening took place under the patronage of the Mayor of Amman Aqel Biltaji, who was led by Sami into the beautiful 50s Italian-style House for a closer look at his works of art, which extended all the way to the garden. Sami did this all in the name of Gaza, where he spent seven months living amongst its people and immersing himself in their culture and the artistic expression of its youth in 2013.
After months of hard work, the visionary artist's expressive photographs, emotional poetry and breathtaking time-lapse video depicted everyday realities from the besieged city. Sami's photographic quest to capture the essence of Gaza's resistance has been successful.
Although the quaint House isn't of mansion dimensions, it's spacious and airy. Each corner of it is dedicated to contemporary poets, painters, photographers, architects and musicians, and anyone else who's interested in the arts.
But before guests entered the House, they were welcomed by a small square with a very powerful message.
The square invited five persons to stand on it; those represented the five persons per one square meter living in the overpopulated city.
Guests enjoyed a variety of drinks and canapes at the heartwarming event, which was attended by a large crowd of locals and expats, including the Italian Ambassador, Jordan's Duke Mamdouh Bisharat, who is involved in and dedicated to supporting the arts widely, and Jordanian soprano and jewellery designer Zeina Barhoum, who looked as chic and fashionable as ever.
Towards the end of the evening, Sami was presented with a shield from the Municipality of Amman as a token of appreciation for his efforts.
If you happen to be in Amman, you can visit this brand new and inspiring venue or even exhibit your own work there. It's been described on its FB page as:
"A house open to everybody. Its kitchen is a workshop of flavours, where the primary products of traditional Italian cuisine will blend with local raw materials.It will be a place at the service of art. It will not be an agribusiness company, or a restaurant, but a location in which aesthetics assume an absolute meaning, where even the food will be exposed on a buffet prepared daily. It will be a shelter for those seeking inspiration."
Haven is an up-and-coming photographer who has already exhibited at ParisPhoto, the Venice Biennale and Tokyo.
By Arwad Khalifeh
