Points of Departure

Points of Departure culminates a year of collaboration with Delfina Foundation, ICA, ArtSchool Palestine and the British Council, and the exhibition will be among the highlights of the 2013 Shubbak Festival in London (22 June - 6 July).

Points of Departure begins as a set of thoughtful explorations into the phenomena of liminality. A condition in which one's sense of identity is diffused, liminality leads not only to states of dislocation and disorientation, but also to new perspectives. From this starting point, all the exhibiting artists undertook research-orientated projects in the UK and Palestine, seeking to make meaning, and create new narratives, in response to urgent contemporary questions around nationalism and identity, history and place.

Points of Departure presents new commissions by Palestinian artists Jumana Emil Abboud, Bashar Alhroub, Bisan Abu Eiseh, and UK artists Jeremy Hutchison and Olivia Plender - all of whom undertook eight-week residencies in London and Ramallah respectively. In relation to themes raised by the project and the works produced, the exhibition also features a seminal work by Ramallah-based artists Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme. The exhibition has been curated by Rebecca Heald with the support of Mirna Bamieh, and also includes an extensive public programme of talks and events.