An Echo in Search of its Shadow: Aesthetics of the Repressed

 
To all those we are indebted to is the inaugural print publication from Bilna’es, an interdisciplinary publishing platform founded by artists Ruanne Abou-Rahme, Basel Abbas and Muqata’a to provide creatives in the region with an alternative economic model centred around the redistribution and circulation of resources. Four booklets, produced with the support of Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual publishing grant (2023), bring together poetry, critical writing, image-making, drawing and songwriting in a multi-disciplinary exploration of the politics of refusal in Palestine. This resistance framework promotes active withdrawal from and collective action against structures and identities imposed by the settler-colonial project. The expression bilna’es therefore represents an entry into this state of refusal—of doing without or ‘being in the negative’. 

Each contribution, created through a collaboration in pairs, develops offbeat approaches to knowledge production. Alia Al-Sabi and Amany Khalifa deconstruct Palestinian ‘return’ through a dialogue spanning literary, temporal and spatial realms. Amr Amer and Laura al-Tibi blend song and critical analysis, challenging colonial frameworks for Palestinians’ connection to their land. Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme present a hypothesis on the ‘negative’, integrating poetry, images and illustrations. Adam HajYahia and Haitham Haddad craft an aesthetic theory of revolt through images, text and drawings.

To all those we are indebted to is written in straightforward and accessible Arabic, maintaining a wide reach without compromising on experimental rigour and critical analysis. Bilna’es will also offer free, printable versions online to ensure accessibility regardless of financial constraints or borders.