This show is the fruit of a collaboration between Boullata & the Syro-Lebanese poet Adonis. After a joint 1995 visit to the Alhambra, Adonis wrote a poem in homage to Granada, & Boullata executed 12 serigraphs (silk screens) echoing the architectural motifs & colors of the Alhambra, also following up on his two-year research into geometric patterns in Islamic art in Morocco and Spain.

With the support of the UNESCO, 50 linen & wood hand-crafted cases containing the serigraphs & 2 books of Adonis' poem were made, & distributed to selected heads of state & art institutions around the world. The books are of an accordion format, & feature 3-dimensional carved pop-ups echoing some architectural motifs of the Alhambra (a picture of the book can be seen in the Sakakini October 98 News section).

The serigraphs are divided into 3 triptychs, each named for one of the 4 rivers believed to exist in Paradise, 2 of which were named after springs in Palestine (Bisan and Jaihun). The 4-river motif is also found in the Lions’ Courtyard of the Alhambra.
 
This exhibit -viewed for the first time after its 1998 Alhambra opening-  is made possible by the UNESCO's donation of all the works exhibited to the Sakakini. We hope to display the series the near future in a permanent gallery, along with other works of art donated to the Centre.