‘Northern Ireland has something that feels familiar - but your craic doesn’t exist anywhere else’ - Syrian artist Khaled Barakeh

IN 1992 Maurice Harron’s iconic public sculpture, Hands Across the Divide, was erected in Derry. The work sees two figures extending out the hand of friendship but not quite managing to meet, raising questions around what it would take to bring the hands together... and what sits in the gap between them?

Now, more than 30 years later, conceptual artist Khaled Barakeh is aiming to answer those questions through his exhibition, The Shake, which is currently showing at The MAC in Belfast.

“The first time I came to Northern Ireland I thought I’d landed in Derry but then someone said, ‘No you’re in Londonderry’, and I didn’t know or really understand what they meant,” Khaled recalls.

“I was really shocked by the duality of literally everything, like schools, churches, taxi firms – you name it. You’d talk to someone they’d tell you one thing and then you’d talk to someone else and they’d tell you something completely different and this sparked my interest.”

Do be Ridiculous: Tim McGarry is excited for his first stand-up tour in eight years - and to still be working among a new wave of successful local comics

The Shake reimagines Harron’s original work, focusing on the hands of the monument’s two figures, particularly the gap between them: cast in bronze, frozen in an unfinished reconciliation, almost meeting but never genuinely joining.

“When I saw Hands Across the Divide, I felt like it was a perfect depiction of Northern Ireland.

“What I wanted to do first was to push the two figures together and make them shake hands.

“But then I was talking to people who didn’t identify with either side and I felt the space between represented them more, so I thought it would be better to focus on making the invisible visible by looking at the gap between the two hands instead.”

This gap, filled with traumas and emotional memories fuelled by historical and political differences, resonated deeply with Khaled who is originally from Syria - where the conflict and sectarianism is ongoing.

“There’s a different level of connection you have with a place when you go through a similar experience,” he explains.

“If I talk about my trauma or about Syria I don’t have to explain the history from the beginning because people here connect to it.

“Northern Ireland has something that feels familiar.”

The installation consists of four parts all working together to bridge the gap between the two hands. Khaled believes that by viewing the space between the figures as a connector rather than a divider, it could metaphorically open a space for discussion, negotiation and reconciliation.

“In the beginning I didn’t want to engage because I didn’t think it was my place to comment on a conflict that’s not my own and I didn’t think the work would feel genuine,” he says.

“But then I realised that was exactly my strength – I’m not connected to the place so I can be a neutral observer.”

However, since the project’s initial inception in 2013 Khaled has developed a deep affinity for the north.

“I’ve just fallen in love with it. The place and the people are such great craic - as you say – which is a concept that doesn’t exist anywhere else,” he laughs.

“I think that’s also part of the reason why, if I can, I want to contribute something positive.”

In addition to the physical elements of the exhibition there will also be a socially engaged segment to it.

“I am less art object and more art action,” Khaled describes.

“I try to provide something that fits within people’s idea of art - that’s aesthetically pleasing and there’s a lot of artistic components to it - but then also do something meaningful and impactful.

“So, the socially engaged part for me is incredibly important.”

This partnership aims to broaden efforts toward equitable civic participation and create more inclusive societies, particularly for communities that have been marginalised or disenfranchised due to race, ethnicity, gender, or other affiliations.

I’ve just fallen in love with the north. The place and the people are such great craic - as you say – which is a concept that doesn’t exist anywhere else

—  Khaled Barakeh

Together, through utopian thinking, they will foster a series of events, artistic interventions, and workshops. These activities are designed to bring new political imaginaries to life that challenge stagnant realities.

“We’re going to have a range of activities taking place including a discussion where we’ll rethink the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement.

“The hope is to produce a new document called the re-agreement, because if we look at the original agreement it’s a ceasefire agreement it’s not a peace agreement.

“I’m the type of person who likes to dream big and I really think if we truly believe in an idea and manifest it and stand behind it we can make a difference – that’s how the world changes.”