At Arad, contemporary art becomes a shared memory and spirituality

"Colored Shadow" by Bashir Abu Rabia at the Arad Center for Contemporary Art

On September 18, the Arad Contemporary Art Center in the Negev inaugurated the first major retrospective dedicated to the visionary Bedouin artist Bashir Abu Rabia. Titled "Colored Shadow," the exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of his work, showcasing a spectacular body of work from the 1970s to the present day. It reveals his fascinating personal mythological system and the tumultuous pictorial dynamics he has developed over the years. This project positions Abu Rabia as a key figure in the history of Israeli Arab art.

The event also marks the launch of the first monograph dedicated to his work, which includes articles by authors from various fields and a historical study presenting his works: paintings, sculptures, public works, drawings, and conceptual pieces, from the beginning of his career to today.

Born in 1951, Bashir Abu Rabia has established himself as one of the most significant figures in the local and Arab art scene since the 1970s. For the first time, a large-scale retrospective exhibition is being dedicated to him, tracing more than five decades of creation.

"Radio Prayers": A Universal Space of Voices and Silences

In parallel, the Arad Contemporary Art Center is hosting "Radio Prayers: The Station of Human Heart's Desires," a project designed as a living, global archive of everyone's prayers and inner impulses. Originally launched at the Schechter Gallery in Tel Aviv in February 2024, this installation is now being deployed in the Negev Desert.

The principle is simple and moving: a digital radio station continuously broadcasts prayers and wishes collected from people of all origins, beliefs, and languages. The project also gives a voice to artists and musicians, who are invited to share their reflections on the very nature of prayer.

In Arad, the public is invited to enter a specially designed meditative space, where they can listen to the broadcasts and also contribute to this immense universal repertoire by recording their own prayer. In this way, each visitor becomes an active participant in a collective project that transcends borders and traditions.

The Arad Contemporary Art Center: Rooted in the Desert

Located in the heart of the Arad Community Center, the Contemporary Art Center occupies a 300 m² space designed as a place for experimentation and dialogue. Through its exhibitions, international residencies, and public programming—lectures, urban interventions, concerts, and educational workshops—it aims to explore the aesthetic, political, social, and ecological issues linked to the unique territory of the Eastern Negev.

With this dual offering, the center reaffirms its purpose: to be both a local anchor and an opening to the universal. Bashir Abu Rabia’s retrospective offers a look back at a unique artistic journey, while "Radio Prayers" provides a participatory space where the voices of the world meet and resonate. In the encounter between these two projects, art becomes memory, transmission, and prayer—an invitation to listen, dialogue, and unite around what connects human beings beyond their differences.

On October 8, a public dialogue between the artist and the exhibition's curator, Lea Avir, will take place, followed by a concert by Shragi, a unique group that brings together Jewish and Bedouin musicians around a repertoire that blends ancient traditions and new creations.

The exhibition can be found at the Arad Contemporary Art Center, 28 Ben Yair Street. Opening hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Caroline Haïat