Karkour - In the Eyes of Those Who Remained (collection of 4 works)

Archival inkjet prints, 2024

Abo Freh’s works feature a photograph of a remote village and her ancestral village of Karkour, one of over 30 villages in the Naqab desert that Israeli authorities refuse to recognize and constantly threaten with demolition. The photos are witness to the deep connections between humans and the place; between solitude and belonging; between childhood and resilience; and between dream and reality. Just as Maroun Tomb’s paintings were lost during the Nakba, Abo Freh’s village has been lost due to the same policies of forced displacement and dispossession. Her photographs transport the viewer to this place, refusing its complete erasure. The unrecognized villages do not serve as geographical markers, but as living depositories for memories, dreams and the human struggle for survival. The photos attempt to return what was eradicated in July 2025 with the full demolition of Karkour and the decimation of the remaining olive trees. These works give the absence a form and render the individual stories into a collective story that cannot be ignored or denied.

Hala Abo Freh is an artist, photographer, and film editor. She lives and works in the city of Rahat in the Naqab where she works at the Raha Center for Plastic Arts. Abo Freh holds a BA in Cultural Studies, Creativity and Production from Sapir College and is a certified community facilitator. 

Abo Freh’s photo and video works are usually shot at eye level or a lowered gaze, focusing on details. Her area of interest is forced evictions and the threat of house demolitions by the state of Israel in the Bedouin communities in the Naqab. She also deals with questions of collective and personal memory. Her works have been exhibited locally in several group shows.