Instagram story viewer> @afk10> Tagged

Amale Freiha Khlat. MRSS

@afk10

1.4K

followers

2031

following

Lebanese British artist. Installation, print, sculpture, video, sound.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

One watermelon, a world of expression

28 artists from around the globe came together for one shared cause @healing_for_gaza 🍉

75

2

“FORGET ME NOT” by @afk10

28 artists. One symbol. A collection of Bateekha sculptures reimagined in support of Healing for Gaza. @healing_for_gaza 🍉

120

15

Art is often described as soft power, as though its influence were abstract or difficult to measure. Yet art shapes what societies remember, whose stories remain visible and which realities people are moved to act upon. It gives identity a language, creates connection across distance and can transform cultural expression into material change.

The Bateekha Project embodies this movement from art to awareness, and from awareness to action.

At its centre is the watermelon, a long-standing symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance. Carrying the colours of the Palestinian flag, the fruit became a visual language through which identity could remain visible when the flag itself was suppressed. It demonstrates how creativity allows culture to survive: when one form of expression is restricted, another emerges in its place.

Conceived by Egyptian sculptor and designer Hedayat Islam Taymour @hatamoi, the project began with a watermelon sourced from the streets of Cairo and transformed into a fibreglass mould in Old Cairo’s historic craft district. From that single form came 28 sculptures, sent to artists around the world and returned as distinct expressions of memory, grief, resilience and hope.

Each artist began with the same object, yet no two works told the same story.

Together, they reveal how culture travels, not through repetition, but through reinterpretation.

One symbol became a meeting point for different histories, disciplines and voices, all united in their refusal to let Palestine be reduced to a headline or a single narrative of suffering.

Bateekha’s impact did not end with what the artworks communicated. The project raised more than £249,000 through auction sales, pledges and donations, with 100% of auction proceeds supporting Healing for Gaza’s trauma therapy for Palestinian children, families and frontline workers.

Its power is therefore both cultural and tangible. It preserves Palestinian identity within the public imagination while directly supporting the people carrying the psychological consequences of war.

Art cannot replace humanitarian or political action. But it can create the emotional and cultural conditions that move people towards a

3

1

3 days in London. A little work, a lot of friendship, and the simple pleasures that make life beautiful.
Morning walks with the « boys » through the magnificent Hyde Park, lunches, dinners, meetings, unexpected encounters, and precious moments with dear friends.

One particularly moving highlight was the Bateekha Project, a beautiful initiative bringing together 28 artists, each offering their own interpretation of the watermelon, a symbol of Palestinian identity and solidarity. Through an exhibition and auction, art became a way to raise funds for trauma therapy for people affected by the war in Gaza.
Another special moment was attending the premiere of Shadows of Beirut, Tala Calil’s film. I had promised Tala I would be there, and I was so happy to keep that promise and share this important moment with her.

Especially happy to have crossed paths with the Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon and the brilliant Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, alongside so many people dear to my heart.
A few snapshots from my iPhone, others sent by friends. A patchwork of faces, places, conversations, and memories.
3 days that reminded me how much joy there is in friendship, unexpected encounters, and the simple privilege of being together ❤🇬🇧

680

53

Two weeks left to support the second edition of Moments for Lebanon.

These artworks — and many more on our website, momentsforlebanon.com — remain available on consignment for the next two weeks.

It’s a final opportunity to purchase a piece you loved, support one of our participating artists, and make a meaningful contribution to Lebanon.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we are now just €7,000 away from reaching our €100,000 fundraising target.

Every artwork purchased brings us one step closer to this milestone and to creating even greater impact through the organisations we support in Lebanon.

We are deeply grateful for your trust, generosity and continued support, and for the part you have played in making this second edition so meaningful.

With love,
The Moments for Lebanon team

3

2

The Bateekhas 🍉 (2/2)

Bidding opens 7 September.

28 artists. One symbol. A collection of Bateekha sculptures reimagined in support of Healing for Gaza.

Mark your calendars — online bidding launches Monday at bateekhaproject.com.

📍 View the exhibition 15–17 September, 10am–6pm

Gallery 1957, 1 Hyde Park Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 5EW @gallery1957

168

1

Some conversations stay with you because they change the way you look. My conversation with Lebanese-British artist Amale Freiha Khlat (@afk10) was one of those.

Amale’s work asks something demanding of its audience: not simply to see, but to pay attention—to question how we encounter art, absorb its meaning, and what responsibility comes with looking. Through beauty, silence, concealment, and reflection, she draws viewers into some of the most difficult realities of our time: war, displacement, genocide, memory, and erasure, without resorting to shock or spectacle.

As Amale told me: “The direct image of suffering does something very specific to a viewer. It produces an immediate emotional response that closes as quickly as it opens. You feel something. Then you move on. The work has done its job and released you.”

Her work tries to do the opposite: “I wanted to make work that does not release the viewer so easily. That keeps them inside the question rather than delivering an answer.”

Amale grew up between Lebanon, France, and the UK, and lived through parts of the Lebanese civil war. “Lebanon is not a subject I choose,” she says. “It is the condition from which I see.”

We talked about art and war, displacement, the politics of archives, the spectacle of suffering, memory, beauty, and the responsibility of looking.

Read my interview with Amale Khlat for @globalvoicesonline at the link in my bio.

211

42

Amale Freiha Khlat’s piece incorporates authentic Palestinian Tatreez, with each stitch cluster carrying a unique and beautiful meaning, highlighting an intricate craft carried through generations. @afk10

28 artists across the world, united by one powerful symbol of Palestinian resilience.

Come see the collection at Gallery 1957, London.
Exhibition on view 15-17th September 2026. Join the online charity auction starting 7th September. All proceeds go to Healing for Gaza. 🍉

#Bateekha #بطيخة #ArtForGaza #HealingForGaza

131

28

Join us starting tomorrow at @arthausbeirut for Dear Lebanon, With Love, a fundraising initiative by @archif.co in collaboration with Moments for Lebanon and @studiotuut.

The exhibition will feature a curated selection of artworks from our second edition, Fragments of Memorabilia, alongside collectible design pieces curated by @studiotuut.

📍 Arthaus Beirut @arthausbeirut
🗓️ August 6 & 7, 12pm – 10pm
🗓️ August 8, 10am – 2pm

All proceeds from the sale of these works go directly to our four partner NGOs.

@arcenciel.aec
@beitelbaraka
@lebaneseredcross
@offre.joie

[1]Ghida Dalloul, Shutter exposure II (one of three)
[2]Mira El Khalil, Holiday In Beirut, Love in 1975
[3]Mira El Khalil, Holiday In Beirut, 2021
[4] Amale Freiha Khlat, Blueprint of the skies (Paris), 2026
[5] Tamara Haddad, The hymns of Petra II, 2025
[6] Yasmina Hilal, Cataclysm, 2024
[7] Amina Ben Ismail, عصيدة الزقوقو
[8] Zahra Holm, La maison du vivant, 2026
[9] Tom Young, Gallery Light, Gemmayzeh

310

6

If you are free and in London around this time.. come see hehe I will be participating in this group exhibition on 8th-9th August 🫯👹

@oldwaitingroom.peckhamrye @maverickprojects

3

0

One symbol, 25+ artists creating a reinterpretation in their unique art style in support of Palestinian culture and identity.

Follow @bateekha_project to tag along the journey.

#artistsforpalestine #artforacause #gaza #bateekha #charity

31

0

A selection of our fragments forming a larger body of work; a collective meditation on memory, place, and identity.
Many thanks to the contributing artists.

[1] Amina Ben Ismail
[2] Amale Freiha Khlat
[3] Ruwan Teodros
[4] Karimah Hassan
[5] Jules Bakhos
[6] Farnaz Gholami
[7] Aasiya Merali
[8] Francesca Matta

All proceeds from the Fragments installation will be donated to our partner NGOs.

@arcenciel.aec
@beitelbaraka
@lebaneseredcross
@offre.joie

Moments for Lebanon
Fragments of Memorabilia
Paris, June 5 — 7

154

8