Amid the rising challenges to press freedom, ARIJ’s 17th Annual Forum spotlighted the resilience of journalists through an innovative art exhibition, UNPRESS - a powerful exploration of journalism in Gaza. By blending investigative journalism with artistic expression, the exhibition offered attendees a deeply immersive experience, confronting the suppression of truth and celebrating the courage of Palestinian journalists.
From December 6–8, 2024, the 17th Annual ARIJ Forum convened in Amman, bringing together more than 750 in-person attendees and 2,300 virtual participants. Under the theme "Journalism Unbound", the event spotlighted mounting threats to press freedom and explored ways to safeguard independent journalism.
Censorship and repression following wars and regional conflicts.
Algorithmic censorship, AI-driven content controls, and platform restrictions.
The impact of climate change and inequality on journalistic freedom.
Strategies to address violence, harassment, and digital security threats.
The forum underscored the power of investigative journalism to
confront corruption, promote transparency, and hold those in power
accountable. Discussions also emphasized the importance of
fact-checking and digital safety to uphold the integrity of the media.
For the second consecutive year, ARIJ blended art and journalism to showcase investigations through a multi-sensory exhibition. In collaboration wth Jordanian architect Yazan Setabouha and with support from the Norwegian Embassy, the exhibition reflected the profound challenges faced by journalists from Gaza.
Yazan Setabouha, a Jordanian architect known for his playful drawings and installations, uses a minimalist approach to engage with language anthropology and embodied histories. His work often explores marginalized spaces, unlearning cycles, and resurrecting overlooked narratives.
The UNPRESS exhibition was inspired by The Gaza Project, an investigative series documenting the suppression of journalism in Palestine. To translate these investigations into powerful artistic expressions, Yazan Setabouha worked closely with the project's lead journalists. He meticulously read each investigation and engaged in detailed discussions to explore how their stories could be transformed into compelling, immersive displays.
Through a blend of interactive installations, evocative soundscapes, and multimedia artworks, the exhibition conveyed both the systematic attempts to silence journalists and the enduring resilience of those who risk their lives to report the truth. The title UNPRESS carried a dual significance; representing the physical threats to press freedom and the shift from traditional to digital journalism in an era of increasing censorship.
ARIJ organized two guided tours for forum attendees, during which Setabouha offered insights into his creative process. He explained how the investigations from The Gaza Project were reimagined as artistic installations, each piece telling a story of courage and suppression.
The exhibition also engaged visitors through a multi-sensory experience, allowing them to hear, touch, see, and interact with different elements of the artwork. Attendees could, for example, wear press flak vests —a symbol of both protection and vulnerability— or listen to the chilling, continuous buzz of drone sounds, echoing the ever-present surveillance that haunts the skies of Gaza. This immersive approach ensured that visitors didn’t just observe the stories of Gaza, they felt them.
Each installation in the exhibition conveyed a facet of the struggle
for press freedom through sensory experiences, evoking the dangers and
resilience of journalism in Gaza.
The psychotic sound of drones filled the exhibition space, creating an unsettling environment that symbolized the constant threat of surveillance and violence faced by Gazan journalists.
Press flak vests were suspended from the ceiling and scattered on the ground, with the word PRESS replaced by QR codes, symbolizing the digital targeting of journalists through AI and precision warfare.
This installation abstracted the targeting of the Hajji building, symbolizing the interplay between reality, truth, and manipulation. It used mixed materials and shifting perspectives to emphasize the narrative’s complexity.
A hyper-realistic acrylic painting captured the moment Israeli forces shot the electronics of journalists Ameed and Rabi’, evoking both tragedy and precision.
Fabric walls filled with bullet holes displayed Gaza before and after the destruction. Up close, these walls offered a poignant tribute to the city, its citizens, and the martyred sacrifices.
Attendees were served Khobazeh, a traditional Palestinian dish from Gaza, offering a sensory connection to Gazan culture and heritage.
The press vests worn by journalists in Gaza became a powerful symbol of strength and resilience. Visitors wore press pins to condemn the targeting of journalists and pledged to keep them on until those responsible for killing journalists are held accountable.
The UNPRESS exhibition was more than an artistic showcase; it was a
powerful statement on press freedom and human resilience. Through
creativity and storytelling, ARIJ transformed investigative journalism
into a visceral human experience, bridging the gap between facts and
feelings. The exhibition urged attendees not only to witness but also
to act—championing the cause of press freedom and honoring the
sacrifices made by Palestinian journalists.
By immersing visitors in the lived experiences of those on the
frontlines of truth, ARIJ ensured that these stories would not be
forgotten.
In the 1920s, Dutch-born artist Piet Mondrian began painting his iconic black grids populated with shifting planes of primary colors. By moving beyond references to the world around him, his simplified language of lines and rectangles known as Neo Plasticism explored the dynamics of movement through color and form alone. Though his red, yellow and blue color-blocked canvases were important elements of the De Stijl movement in the early 1900s, almost a century later Mondrian’s abstractions still inspire architects across the globe.