DRIVING IN PALESTINE
Rehab Nazzal
August 9–30, 2025 | Vines Den, 825 E Hastings Street, Vancouver
Venue accessibility linked here
Open hours: Thursdays 1pm to 7pm
Fridays 12pm to 6pm
Saturdays 12pm to 6pm
Sundays 12pm to 6pm
Opening night: August 9th 6pm - 9pm
Closing night: August 30 6pm - 9pm
Presented by Vines Art Society and SAW, in conjunction with the 11th Annual Vines Art Festival. The exhibition tour is organized by SAW and
supported by the Canada Council for the Arts’ Arts Across Canada program. Images courtesy of Rehab Nazzal and SAW. All rights reserved.
To drive in Palestine is to pass through a landscape cut by walls, watchtowers, gates, and fences—where every turn, every stretch of road, is marked by a regime
of control. For over a decade, artist Rehab Nazzal documented the violent architecture of Israeli apartheid through collecting photographs, video, and sound.
Driving in Palestine brings together photographs taken from moving vehicles between 2010 and 2020. What emerges is a cartography of restriction and erasure: a land fractured
into zones, a people fragmented by permits, color-coded licenses, military checkpoints, military watchtowers, and segregated streets. The view from the car window reveals
the ordinary brutality of occupation—the slow strangulation of movement, land, and life.
This iteration of Driving in Palestine brings the work out of the traditional gallery, into the streets and into the very concrete of the city.
As settler-colonial violence unfolds in real time and the genocide continues, Driving in Palestine insists on presence, proximity, and collective witnessing.
Rehab Nazzal
August 9–30, 2025 | Vines Den, 825 E Hastings Street, Vancouver
Venue accessibility linked here
Open hours: Thursdays 1pm to 7pm
Fridays 12pm to 6pm
Saturdays 12pm to 6pm
Sundays 12pm to 6pm
Opening night: August 9th 6pm - 9pm
Closing night: August 30 6pm - 9pm
Presented by Vines Art Society and SAW, in conjunction with the 11th Annual Vines Art Festival. The exhibition tour is organized by SAW and
supported by the Canada Council for the Arts’ Arts Across Canada program. Images courtesy of Rehab Nazzal and SAW. All rights reserved.
To drive in Palestine is to pass through a landscape cut by walls, watchtowers, gates, and fences—where every turn, every stretch of road, is marked by a regime
of control. For over a decade, artist Rehab Nazzal documented the violent architecture of Israeli apartheid through collecting photographs, video, and sound.
Driving in Palestine brings together photographs taken from moving vehicles between 2010 and 2020. What emerges is a cartography of restriction and erasure: a land fractured
into zones, a people fragmented by permits, color-coded licenses, military checkpoints, military watchtowers, and segregated streets. The view from the car window reveals
the ordinary brutality of occupation—the slow strangulation of movement, land, and life.
This iteration of Driving in Palestine brings the work out of the traditional gallery, into the streets and into the very concrete of the city.
As settler-colonial violence unfolds in real time and the genocide continues, Driving in Palestine insists on presence, proximity, and collective witnessing.
The exhibition catalyses a series of city-wide space activations in solidarity with Palestine, in what we are calling Freedom School — programming that includes
community-led events, teach-ins, and workshops focusing on Palestinian, Indigenous, intersectional feminist, and anti-colonial liberation.
All works will also be available to purchase in an online auction throughout the duration of the show. All funds will go toward supporting Amani, a young
girl from Palestine who was featured in Vibrations from Gaza (2023), Nazzal’s documentary film on the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children.
التحرك في فلسطين
رحاب نزال
آب , 9 - 30 , 2025
:الموقع
Vines Den, 825 E. Hastings St., Vancouver
ساعات الزيارة
الخميس من 1:00 - 7:00 مساءً
الجمعة من 12:00 - 6:00 مساءً
السبت من 12:00 - 6:00 مساءً
الأحد من 12:00 - 6:00 مساءً
افتتاح المعرض 9 آب ، 6 - 9 مساءً
الختام : 30 آب ، 9 - 6 مساءً
Vines Art Society and SAW مقدم من قبل
"بالتزامن مع الاحتفال الفني السنوي. جولة المعرض منظمة من قبل مركز "ساو
ومدعومة من قبل برنامج المجلس الكندي للفنون.
"جميع حقوق الطبع محفوظة للفنانة رحاب نزال و مركز "ساو
السياقة بفلسطين تعني المرور عبر منظرا طبيعيا يخترقه جدران، أبراج مراقبة، بوابات،
وأسوار - و كل منعطف، كل جزء من الطريق، معلم بنظام تحكّم وسيطرة. لأكثر من عقد من
الزمان، دوّنت الفنانة رحاب نزال الهندسة العنيفة لنظام الفصل العنصري الإسرائيلي عن
طريق جمع صور، فيديوهات، وصوت.
"التحرك في فلسطين" يعرض صورا تم أخذها بين عامي 2010-2020. والناتج هو رسم
خرائطي لتقييد الشعب الفلسطيني ومحوه: أرض ممزقة لمناطق عدة شعب مجزّء بتصاريح
.رُخص متعددة الألوان حواجز عسكرية، وشوارع فصل عنصري. المشهد من نافذة السيارة
.يكشف وحشية الاحتلال الاعتيادية الخنق البطيء للحركة، الأرض، والحياة
هدف هذا العمل هو أن نجلب "التحرك في فلسطين" من داخل جدران المعرض التقليدي إلى
الشوارع وقلب المدينة. بينما ينكشف عنف الاستيطان الاستعماري دقيقة تلو الأخرى، وبينما
تستمر الإبادة الجماعية، "التحرك في فلسطين" يصرّ على الوجود، التقرّب، وعلى أن نكون
.جميعا شهود عيان
يبادر المعرض بسلسلة من تفعيلات لمساحة على نطاق المدينة تضامنا مع فلسطين
ما سميناه "مدرسة الحرية", والتي تتضمن - فعاليات مجتمعية، ورشات تركز على القضية
,الفلسطينية، سكان الأرض الأصليين
والحركة النسوية، والفكر التحرري المناهض للاستعمار
ستكون جميع الأعمال متاحة للشراء في مزاد إلكتروني طوال فترة المعرض. ستخصص
"جميع الأموال لدعم أماني، الفتاة الفلسطينية التي ظهرت في فيلم نزال "اهتزازات من غزة
وعائلتها. "اهتزازت من غزة" يحكي قصة مؤسسة "أطفالنا" للأطفال للصم
community-led events, teach-ins, and workshops focusing on Palestinian, Indigenous, intersectional feminist, and anti-colonial liberation.
All works will also be available to purchase in an online auction throughout the duration of the show. All funds will go toward supporting Amani, a young
girl from Palestine who was featured in Vibrations from Gaza (2023), Nazzal’s documentary film on the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children.
التحرك في فلسطين
رحاب نزال
آب , 9 - 30 , 2025
:الموقع
Vines Den, 825 E. Hastings St., Vancouver
ساعات الزيارة
الخميس من 1:00 - 7:00 مساءً
الجمعة من 12:00 - 6:00 مساءً
السبت من 12:00 - 6:00 مساءً
الأحد من 12:00 - 6:00 مساءً
افتتاح المعرض 9 آب ، 6 - 9 مساءً
الختام : 30 آب ، 9 - 6 مساءً
Vines Art Society and SAW مقدم من قبل
"بالتزامن مع الاحتفال الفني السنوي. جولة المعرض منظمة من قبل مركز "ساو
ومدعومة من قبل برنامج المجلس الكندي للفنون.
"جميع حقوق الطبع محفوظة للفنانة رحاب نزال و مركز "ساو
السياقة بفلسطين تعني المرور عبر منظرا طبيعيا يخترقه جدران، أبراج مراقبة، بوابات،
وأسوار - و كل منعطف، كل جزء من الطريق، معلم بنظام تحكّم وسيطرة. لأكثر من عقد من
الزمان، دوّنت الفنانة رحاب نزال الهندسة العنيفة لنظام الفصل العنصري الإسرائيلي عن
طريق جمع صور، فيديوهات، وصوت.
"التحرك في فلسطين" يعرض صورا تم أخذها بين عامي 2010-2020. والناتج هو رسم
خرائطي لتقييد الشعب الفلسطيني ومحوه: أرض ممزقة لمناطق عدة شعب مجزّء بتصاريح
.رُخص متعددة الألوان حواجز عسكرية، وشوارع فصل عنصري. المشهد من نافذة السيارة
.يكشف وحشية الاحتلال الاعتيادية الخنق البطيء للحركة، الأرض، والحياة
هدف هذا العمل هو أن نجلب "التحرك في فلسطين" من داخل جدران المعرض التقليدي إلى
الشوارع وقلب المدينة. بينما ينكشف عنف الاستيطان الاستعماري دقيقة تلو الأخرى، وبينما
تستمر الإبادة الجماعية، "التحرك في فلسطين" يصرّ على الوجود، التقرّب، وعلى أن نكون
.جميعا شهود عيان
يبادر المعرض بسلسلة من تفعيلات لمساحة على نطاق المدينة تضامنا مع فلسطين
ما سميناه "مدرسة الحرية", والتي تتضمن - فعاليات مجتمعية، ورشات تركز على القضية
,الفلسطينية، سكان الأرض الأصليين
والحركة النسوية، والفكر التحرري المناهض للاستعمار
ستكون جميع الأعمال متاحة للشراء في مزاد إلكتروني طوال فترة المعرض. ستخصص
"جميع الأموال لدعم أماني، الفتاة الفلسطينية التي ظهرت في فيلم نزال "اهتزازات من غزة
وعائلتها. "اهتزازت من غزة" يحكي قصة مؤسسة "أطفالنا" للأطفال للصم
FREEDOM SCHOOL
Held in conjunction with Driving in Palestine, Freedom School rides the wake of the Freedom Flotilla as we come together to assert that from Salish Seas to Palestine, occupation is a crime. Freedom School engages liberation praxis and community building in support of a free Palestine and all who advocate for justice in the face of settler colonialism, militarism, state violence and oppression in our shared and interconnected worlds.
In the free school tradition, we embrace education as critical, political, and liberational for ourselves and our community. Education as a practice of freedom must take place in community, which means that it is free, open, and accessible to all community members. This is the context in which we seek to activate and renew community solidarity, to bring attention to ongoing atrocities perpetrated by Israel in the West Bank, to bring an end to the genocide and weaponized starvation in Gaza, and to centre Indigenous solidarity movements for justice in the face of settler colonial regimes of violence, apartheid, and genocide, more broadly.
Here and now, we amplify and insist on what Sarah Ihmoud describes as decolonial love in the face of colonial oppression where, “to practice feminism in the midst of bearing witness to genocide is to embrace love as a radical consciousness, as a radical decolonial politic of fighting for life.” We do this work together, in community because we know that it is through community that we will achieve collective liberation. Only we will save us.
For, as Nada Elia reminds us, “Today, more than ever, there is growing consciousness that our struggles are not parallel—a term which suggests that they will never meet—but intersectional, coming together at various nodes. Our hope is that the enactment of reciprocal solidarity is a long-term movement, not a ‘moment’.”
Masks are recommended for all events. Extra masks will be available on site should you need one. We ask that if you are sick, please take care and refrain from coming to the event.
In the free school tradition, we embrace education as critical, political, and liberational for ourselves and our community. Education as a practice of freedom must take place in community, which means that it is free, open, and accessible to all community members. This is the context in which we seek to activate and renew community solidarity, to bring attention to ongoing atrocities perpetrated by Israel in the West Bank, to bring an end to the genocide and weaponized starvation in Gaza, and to centre Indigenous solidarity movements for justice in the face of settler colonial regimes of violence, apartheid, and genocide, more broadly.
Here and now, we amplify and insist on what Sarah Ihmoud describes as decolonial love in the face of colonial oppression where, “to practice feminism in the midst of bearing witness to genocide is to embrace love as a radical consciousness, as a radical decolonial politic of fighting for life.” We do this work together, in community because we know that it is through community that we will achieve collective liberation. Only we will save us.
For, as Nada Elia reminds us, “Today, more than ever, there is growing consciousness that our struggles are not parallel—a term which suggests that they will never meet—but intersectional, coming together at various nodes. Our hope is that the enactment of reciprocal solidarity is a long-term movement, not a ‘moment’.”
Masks are recommended for all events. Extra masks will be available on site should you need one. We ask that if you are sick, please take care and refrain from coming to the event.
2025 Programming List: (Check back soon for updates and registration links)
All programming takes place at The Vines Den unless otherwise specified
Saturday August 9 - EXHIBITION OPENING: REHAB NAZZAL IN CONVERSATION WITH JAYCE SALLOUM - 6 to 9 pm
Saturday August 9 - LIVESTREAM OF THE PEACE AND UNITY SUMMIT - 10 am to 1 pm
Sunday August 10 - CURATOR’S TOUR WITH STEFAN ST-LAURENT - 1 to 2:30 pm
Monday August 11 - FILM SCREENING AND ARTIST TALK WITH REHAB NAZZAL - 7 to 9 pm - SFU Habour Centre Room 1700 (Address in RSVP)
Tuesday August 12 - EMDR & DRUMMING HEALING WORKSHOP FOR PALESTINIANS & ACTIVISTS IN THE MOVEMENT- 6 to 8:30 pm
Friday August 15 - PRINT FOR PALESTINE - 6 to 9 pm
Saturday August 16 - HISTORY OF INDIGESTION: THE GAZA STORY AND FORBIDDEN HARVESTS - 10 am to 12 pm
Sunday August 17 - LIFELINES, NOT PIPELINES TEACH-IN: SOLIDARITY WITH INDIGENOUS NATIONS RESISTING EXTRACTION - 1 to 2:30 pm
Sunday August 17 - CANADABKE: DANCE DABKE WORKSHOP WITH DANCERS FOR PALESTINE - 3 to 5 pm
Monday August 18 - PALESTINE: TRAJECTORIES OF CARE FILM SCREENING - Doors at 7pm, screening at 7:30 pm - Notional Space (Address in RSVP)
Tuesday August 19 - BUILDING A BETTER WORLD WITH BDS: A HANDS-ON WORKSHOP - 6 to 8 pm
Thursday August 21 - THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED WORKSHOP - 6 to 8 pm
Friday August 22 - POETRY FOR PALESTINE - 6 to 8:30 pm
Saturday August 23 - ABOLITION GEOGRAPHIES WITH READ FOR OUR LIVES - 2 to 4 pm
Sunday August 24 - FROM SALISH SEAS TO PALESTINE: ENCAMPMENT SOLIDARITIES & BEYOND - 4 to 7 pm
Monday August 25 - NEW POLICING TECH, SAME COLONIAL EMPIRES: GLOBAL POLICING, TECH & BORDER CONTROLS FROM TURTLE ISLAND TO PALESTINE WITH WEAVING OUR WORLDS - 6 to 8 pm
Tuesday August 26 - ANTI-PALESTINIAN RACISM IN SCHOOL SYSTEMS - 6 to 8 pm
Wednesday August 27- PARENTS FOR PALESTINE BOOK CLUB - 6 to 8 pm
Thursday August 28 - TATREEZ WORKSHOP - 6 to 8 pm
Saturday August 30 - CLOSING CEREMONY AND AUCTION - 6 to 9 pm
The Freedom School Calendar:
Rehab Nazzal is a Palestinian-born multidisciplinary artist based in Bethlehem and Montreal. Her work examines the effects of settler colonial violence on people, land and non-human life in Palestine. Nazzal blends experimental, conceptual and documentary strategies in her photography, film, sound and installation works. Her process relies heavily on field research, critical thinking and collaboration with communities.
Nazzal’s community organizing work includes collaboration with various art collectives, activist groups and galleries in Toronto, London, ON, Vancouver, Bethlehem and Ottawa. She is currently an assistant professor at Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, Palestine and has previously taught at Simon Fraser University, Western University, Dar Al-Kalima University, and Ottawa School of Art. She holds a PhD in Art and Visual Culture from the University of Western Ontario, an MFA from Toronto Metropolitan University, a BFA from the University of Ottawa and a BA (Economics) from Damascus University.
Driving in Palestine takes place on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. In our solidarity with Palestine, it’s important to look to the lands that we are working from, and the impacts of settler colonialism across these contexts. Both the Israeli and Canadian states are shamefully linked as occupying settler-colonial forces that actively and historically remove Indigenous peoples from their homelands. Indigenous sovereignty in Palestine and on Turtle Island is deeply intertwined and these struggles must be supported on all fronts.
The exhibition is located in the Downtown Eastside. Driving in Palestine organizers are committed to being in good relationship with the residents of the DTES. When using the space, please prioritize the safety of people who reside in the neighbourhood. If you’re a guest in the DTES, we ask that you reflect on the impact that colonialism, racism, ableism, anti-drug use and anti-houseless people rhetoric has on the residents of this neighbourhood.
We recognize the impact of the toxic drug supply and the war on drugs on members of our communities. While the exhibition site is not meant to be a supervised consumption site, we know that drug use may happen in our space. Safer snorting, injection and smoking kits are available in the space, as well as a needle disposal unit and naloxone kits. Booklets and infographics on drug destigmatization, safer drug use, and STI’s are also available for anyone to take. Please check out this map for nearby supervised consumption sites, overdose prevention sites, and drug testing services. Some organizers are trained in narcan use, but for your safety, we recommend that you use at one of these sites as they are better prepared to respond to medical emergencies. If that’s not an option for you and you would still like to use in this space, please don’t use alone in the bathroom.
Many in our communities are at risk of experiencing police and institutional violence. We are committed to abolition and de-escalation and ask that all exhibition visitors and participants do their best to keep themselves and other community members safe. We would like to keep the police out of the space and the neighbourhood. In case of an emergency during an event, please reach out to an organizer. We will assess how best to respond to the situation at hand. If we are required to call 911 for a medical emergency, we will work to ensure that police are not sent. If for any reason police enter the exhibition space, please give space for organizers to engage with officers and avoid escalation. If police are present in the space, please make sure to document the interaction.
We are hosted by Vines Den, a space primarily by and for people who are Black, Indigenous, racialized, disabled, neurodivergent, mad, queer, Two-Spirit, trans, non-binary, and hold other marginalized identities. This is a space for people to feel held and respected, and where difficult conversations can be held when harm is done. We are committed to navigating conflict in a way that seeks accountability and repair. However if an individual or group of people are not willing to learn and move from conflict, we may ask that they no longer participate in programming. While we remain open to conversations and feedback from our communities, we reserve the right to establish boundaries that maintain our health and well-being.
Please use the space with care. We ask that you help us maintain the space and the things in it in good condition.
This exhibition is being organized by a large team of artists, professors, and cultural workers, activists, and volunteers. If you wish to ask any questions or need to recieve more information about the show, please contact us at via our email or on Instagram
Special thanks to
Our presenters: SAW GALLERY, VINES ART SOCIETY,
Our funders: CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS, CITY OF OTTAWA, OTTAWA COUNCIL OF THE ARTS
Our partners: ACCESS GALLERY, APARTHEID FREE COMMUNITIES, BURNABY ART GALLERY, CENTRE A, CENTRE FOR COMPARATIVE MUSLIM STUDIES, FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA COLLECTIVE, LABOUR FOR PALESTINE, PARENTS FOR PALESTINE, UNIT PITT, WEAVING OUR WORLDS