Rehab Eldalil, From the Ashes, I Rose / من الرماد نهضت
East Wing congratulates Egyptian Artist and World Press Award winner, Rehab Eldalil on receiving the LUCIE FOUNDATION Photojournalism/ Documentary Professional Scholarship Award for her series From the Ashes I Rose / من الرماد نهضت . This series of compelling photographs depicts the stories of patients from the Médecins Sans Frontières hospital in Amman, Jordan, which provides orthopedic, plastic and maxillofacial surgery, physiotherapy, mental health support and prosthetic fitting. The patients, whose backgrounds vary from across the region including Palestine, Iraq and Yemen, mostly suffer from burns and/or amputation caused by conflict, warfare and aggression on civilians.
From the Ashes, I Rose confronts the harsh realities of human rights violations and the devastating effects of warfare on civilians in the SWANA region, including Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Instead of focusing on the suffering of patients at the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in Amman, Jordan, this project reinterprets their experiences as profound acts of resilience and resistance.
The project shifts the narrative to celebrate the protagonists’ journeys of rebirth and transformation. Their injuries are depicted as sources of strength and empowerment. Their trauma is metaphorically transformed into superpowers, highlighting their extraordinary resilience.
Combining photography with mixed media created in collaboration with the protagonists, the project features personal visual narratives expressed through drawings and crafts on Polaroid photographs. Craft interventions using diamond painting, a therapeutic method used at the MSF hospital, symbolizing collective recovery and empowerment across diverse cultural backgrounds.
Eldalil’s work aims to challenge prevailing victimhood narratives by emphasizing the agency and creativity of those affected by violence. She stated, “The award will enable me to expand this project, engage more individuals across the region, and explore various visual storytelling methods. Fostering meaningful dialogue between the Global South and Western communities and encouraging global action against civilian violence.”
This evocative series was most recently exhibited in Milan at Fabbrica del Vapore, Sala Colonne as part of her ongoing partnership with Cortona on the Move
See more works by Rehab Eldalil on her website here or on her Artist Page at East Wing here
From the Ashes, I Rose / من الرماد نهضت is a collaborative project by Rehab Eldalil with Médecins Sans Frontières and Cortona on the Move.
