A larger than life-size sepia photographic print from 1889 of a young fallaha (in Arabic, a female farmer) wearing a thoub (a traditional garment) is carefully placed against the wall, with a yellow neon rod aligning her head with her upper body.

Placed almost like an artwork against the burgundy-coloured backdrop that is somewhat reminiscent of old master gallery walls, this woman has a spiritual aura about her. She embodies the resilience, strength and humility of the Palestinian people.

The woman and her embroidered dress bears close connections to the artist’s personal history and upbringing. The son of a seamstress who designed women’s dresses, Hazem Harb’s mother, Saliha, greatly influenced his early formative years when he explored compositions of images, colours, and textures for the first time.