Sadik Kwaish Alfraji takes part in the 5th Paltz Biennale.

Alfraji will present both an animation and a large drawing. In the animation, which consists of hundreds of charcoal drawings, you see a donkey walking. For Alfraji, the donkey symbolizes many different things; a memory of a donkey near where he grew up, but also of a more universal image, a donkey that, contrary to the often used stereotype, he sees as a friendly and wise animal. He also refers to the donkey from George Orwell’s book Animal Farm, which makes the still painfully relevant statement: ‘all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others’. In addition, Alfraji made a large drawing of a tree, which has nestled between the existing trees of the Paltz, and at the same time stands in great contrast to them. In Arabic culture, the tree is an important concept, a universal symbol for life itself.

The 5th Paltz Biënnale opens on May 11, 2024 and remains on view until June 23, 2024.