Majd Arandas (1994-2023)

Gulf Photo Plus X BredaPhoto 

The everyday takes on political weight when documented under occupation; images of routine life, walking, eating, gathering, become acts of defiance against systems that seek to control, surveil, or erase Palestinian existence. Beyond its role as an immediate recorder, the camera serves as an archive of a life lived, carrying traces of its owner even after death. It records not just the visible, but also the implicit: expressions, gestures, and gaps or silences. When examined collectively, these records construct a fragmented yet nuanced biography, revealing patterns of joy, resistance, displacement, and loss.   

Palestinian photographer Majd Arandas was killed by an Israeli airstrike near his home in the Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Wednesday, November 1, 2023. Through contributions from family, friends and colleagues Moayad Arandas, Samar Hazboun, Maen Hammad, Rita Kabalan, Mohamed Somji and Tamara Abdul Hadi this exhibition pieces together a collective narrative through the lens of his community. Arandas’s posthumous images, retrieved by his brother, offer fragmented glimpses of his life up until his tragic death. Here, traces speak to a life marked by the quiet gestures of affection and the subtle exchanges of care.  

In a context where visibility is often contested, the camera, whether a smartphone, a DSLR, or a surveillance device, becomes more than just an observer; it transforms into a tool of testimony and a method of preservation. This exhibition honours the life of Majd Arandas and celebrates his work by offering a collective narrative, pieced together through the traces left behind, of a life lived in connection with others.