Lens on Gaza
East Street Arts present Lens on Gaza: The Sun and Moon Still Rise, a major photography exhibition by Fadi A. Thabet, with Bethlehem Cultural Festival and East Street Arts from 17 April until 9 May 2026. The touring exhibition will launch on Friday, 17 April, and brings together a powerful body of work tracing everyday life in Gaza.
Lens on Gaza: The Sun and Moon Still Rise presents an intimate visual narrative of life, resilience, and humanity in Gaza, through photographer Fadi A. Thabet’s own lived experience and unique viewpoint.
This exhibition creates space to engage with stories that transcend borders. It is not only a record of lived experience, but a testament to humanity: to families, children and communities who continue to live, create and hope in Gaza.
Born in 1978 in the central Gaza Strip, Thabet is a photographer, human rights activist and art education teacher. His practice is grounded in the belief that art must serve a purpose and that creative work must respond to the realities people face. His photographs act as both testimony and invitation, asking audiences to look closely and with care.
Alongside his photographic work, Thabet supports children who have experienced war and displacement. Through art education and creative expression, he works with young people living in camps, helping them process trauma and rebuild a sense of hope and agency. Photography, in this context, becomes both witness and tool: a way to document, and a way to heal.
s part of the Leeds installation, up to three Leeds-based artists will be selected through an open call to create new works in response to Thabet’s photography. Selected artists will receive free access to facilities and equipment at East Street Arts. The resulting works will be presented and sold during the exhibition as part of the fundraising campaign, supporting Thabet and the children he works with in Gaza.
Following its launch in Leeds, the exhibition will tour to Glasgow at Alchemy Experiment (15 May – 29 2026), with further dates to be announced by Bethlehem Cultural Festival.
