Art exhibition tells story of Yemen, reflecting pain and hope

Yemen's art industry has been ravaged by more than a decade of war and conflict, yet artistic expression is slowly returning in the capital city Sanaa.

Inside the Sanaa Gallery in the heart of the capital, a new exhibition by artist Majed Al-Hamdani, one of the country's leading painters, is showcasing the resilience of the Yemeni people through art on the homeland, identity, and humanity.

The paintings reflect a mix of pain and hope, illustrating the past and future, on silent canvases filled with life.

"I tried to highlight various art schools in this exhibition, including realism, surrealism, abstract art, still life, and portraiture," said Majed Al-Hamdani.

The exhibition has five sections with more than 120 paintings. These pieces of art tell the story of Yemen, a land of rich history and traditions.

Each line and stroke bring the place to life - women in traditional dresses embroidered with golden threads, faces full of wisdom and nostalgia, and scenes from both the countryside and the city, where the past meets the present.

These paintings are not just art - they are visual stories that visitors, including artists, intellectuals, and art lovers, have greatly admired.

"The work of the artist aims to embody Yemeni identity. It is a remarkable effort that gives us an impression of ancient Yemeni heritage," said a visitor named Samir Al-Jandari.

"We are here as part of an exhibition that represents a significant shift after the long period of stagnation we went through," said Sadiq Al-Hashdi, also a visual artist.

This exhibition is not just a journey through Yemen's history. It is a human space that goes beyond borders.

Some paintings tell the story of the Palestinian people's suffering where the brush becomes a tool to express the emotions of civilians.

One painting shows a Palestinian woman holding the Dome of the Rock, her eyes filled with longing. Another hand points to the sky, with a map glowing in the colors of hope.

With determination and perseverance, artist Majed Al-Hamdani has restored art as a bridge for communication and a message that challenges difficult times.

League of Arab States (LAS) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said the Arab world remains committed to a non-aligned foreign policy amid shifting global power dynamics.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) that aired on Friday, Aboul-Gheit, who has visited China six times, said non-alignment has long guided the Arab League's diplomatic stance, tracing back to its early days.

"We adopted that the Arab League is composed of 22 countries. But not all of them were independent in 1945, only seven. The seven agreed on a certain path that was embracing non-alignment. And since the establishment of the movement, the non-aligned movement in 1961, or let's say, since the Bandung Summit in 1955 in Indonesia, the Arab League was following non-alignment between the Western world and the Soviet bloc," said the secretary-general.