Women in Suffering and Cause & Effect
Artist Randa Saab presents “Women in Suffering”.
An exhibition of sculpture by Randa Saab focussing on the issues of the violence and trauma experienced by women and children, particularly in the Middle East.
The location is the Holy Land”, or what is known as the Levant, in the Middle East. Alongside being a major holy centre for the three Abrahamic religions, it has been a land of continuous turmoil throughout history, before and after Christ.
Randa Saab has selected three women to express this turmoil in sculptures made of fine plaster, all made in 2023-2024.
Elissa was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in Tunisia), in 814 BC. She was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (located in Lebanon) who fled tyranny to found her own city in northwest Africa.
Mary, mother of Jesus, who in 33 A.D. due to cruelty and lack of tolerance, suffered the torture and the crucifixion of her son Jesus Christ, and the persecution of his followers. Her humility and obedience to God have made her a model of devotion and righteousness.
Mother of thousands of children killed in war, at present times. Thousands have been killed, thousands maimed, thousands displaced, and thousands deprived of their basic human rights. The suffering continues.
A fourth smaller sculpture, “Contemplation”, made of white cement binds the three sculptures and questions: What happened to Thou Shalt not Kill?!
Accompanied by Cause & Effect
The use of arms against civilians is the cause
of misery, displacement and illegal immigration.
To end human suffering, and to end illegal immigration, stop using arms and heavy weapons against civilians!!
Total deaths in armed conflicts were more than 3.3 million between 1989 and 2022. This has led to misery, malnutrition, hunger, disease and displacement of millions of those who survived.
At the end of 2023, an estimated 117.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing the public order.
Estimated global military expenditure in 2023 estimated at more than $2.4 trillion.
The arms revenue of the 100 largest arms-producing and military services companies estimated at $597 billion in 2022.
Value of global arms trade in 2022 estimated at $138 billion.
Who manufactures the arms, who buys them and who uses them, and what is the effect on civilian life?? Questions that need to be asked, questions whose answers should prompt rethinking and reshaping the present trends of where the world is heading.
“In 2020, between 720 and 811 million people faced hunger” The billions spent on tools of destruction could well be invested in maintaining wellbeing, peace and raising the human condition to a real civilisation and human development all over the world.
Violence only brings violence, a cycle that will never end, unless major reforms are done. Leading developed and industrial countries need to reconsider the strategies in influencing and controlling developing countries and their resources.
It is vital to implement International Arms Control Treaties and to reconsider and reshape the global arms trade towards a more humanistic approach.
The “Cause and Effect” project, aims to highlight these conditions, in the hope that Arms usage will be restricted and that its financing would be channelled into humanistic investments.
About the artist
Randa Saab is a British Lebanese visual artist, living in Rochester, Kent.
She held managerial posts at international organizations and have a master’s degree in business studies (MBA).
Perusing her passion for Art, she studied for a BA in Fine Arts and graduated in 2020. She then furthered her study of sculpture in 2022.
In 2023, she was a resident artist at Nucleus Arts, Chatham, with which she is still a Creative Associate.
Her sculpture of Charles Dickens is presently on display at the Library of Rochester Cathedral.
Randasaabart.com
randasaabart@outlook.com @randasaabart
Located in the Crypt during Cathedral visiting hours. Please note the Crypt is closed on Sundays.
