AMSTERDAM.- Foam is presenting Yawm al-Firak, Arabic for Day of Separation, the first solo exhibition by the Palestinian-Dutch photographer Sakir Khader. Since 2024, he has been the first Palestinian photographer selected to join the renowned photography collective Magnum Photos. Through his firsthand experiences in Palestinian occupied territories, Khader brings the viewer directly into the heart of the occupation. His images explore the fragile boundary between life and death.

In this exhibition, Khader gives a voice to seven young Palestinian men who were violently taken from life, and to their mothers who lost them. Through their stories and experiences, he reflects on farewells in times of occupation, conflict, war, and displacement. His images explore the fragile boundary between life and death.

The number seven symbolizes unity in many cultures. The seven mothers and their lost sons at the centre of this exhibition represent the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with the establishment of the state of Israel since 1948, also known as the Nakba. The title of the exhibition, Yawm al-Firak, refers to an ancient Arabic poem about separation and farewell. Khader connects this literary tradition with personal stories. His work touches on universal themes such as love, grief, and resilience. 

As essayist, filmmaker, and activist Susan Sontag wrote in Regarding the Pain of Others (2003) about the power of photography: “Let the atrocious images haunt us. (…) The images say: This is what human beings are capable of doing (…). Don't forget.” With his photographs and texts in this exhibition, Sakir Khader asks us to look beyond the statistics and political rhetoric and face the human cost of the Israeli occupation. His images candidly expose the consequences of oppression and violence on individual lives, regardless of which side of the divide we are on. 

Sakir Khader (NL, 1990) studied journalism, media management, and communication. After working as a reporter and investigative journalist for outlets such as de Volkskrant, Brandpunt, and NOS op 3, he fully dedicated himself to documentary photography and film. His work, centred on the relationship between life and death in conflict areas, has been awarded prestigious prizes, including the Silver Camera award.