Dreams of tomorrow ..
"Palestine: The Exodus and the Odyssey" is a collection of 19 large murals painted by Ismail and Tamam Shammout from 1997 to 2000. The paintings illustrate, in chronological sequence, the plight of the Palestinian people since the creation of Israel in 1948 - from exodus and destitution to reconstruction, struggle, and reassertion of their rights. It is the artists' impression as witnessed and personally experienced.
Shammout's final painting in the collection "Dreams of tomorrow .."features the corpse of a Palestinian woman, in the shape of the map of Palestine, with red needlework on her dress spelling the words "love, good, patience, tomorrow…" and names of Palestinian cities "Nablus, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Nazareth…"
These epic pieces of art are witnesses to Palestinian history, to the Palestinian attachment to their land, the heart-wrenching pain of loss and exile, the undying hope for future redemption.
