A Sea for Borrowed Time is a major exhibition developed in partnership with Sharjah Art Foundation that brings together works by leading Palestinian artists, or works about Palestine, from the Foundation’s internationally significant collection. The exhibition examines how contemporary artists have responded to histories of political resistance, displacement, occupation, memory and solidarity through photography, sculpture, installation, film and painting.

Bringing together works by Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Basma Al Sharif, Simone Fattal, Shadi Habib Allah, Rula Halawani, Hazem Harb, Khalil Rabah and Abdul Hay Mosallam Zarara, the exhibition explores the diversity of Palestinian artistic practice across several generations. Some artists were born in Palestine, while others were born into exile or belong to communities whose histories are deeply connected to the wider Levant. Together their works examine the lived realities of occupation and displacement while also considering questions of belonging, cultural memory, identity and the endurance of everyday life.

The exhibition examines how artists have developed visual languages capable of addressing histories that continue to shape Palestinian life. Rather than presenting a chronological history, A Sea for Borrowed Time moves between testimony, memory, lived experience and imagination. Individual works document specific places, events and personal experiences while also considering broader questions about movement, belonging, inheritance, grief and cultural survival. Across photography, sculpture, installation and moving image, the artists reveal how art can preserve memory, challenge dominant narratives and sustain connections to people and place despite displacement and political fragmentation.

A Sea for Borrowed Time is organised by IMMA in partnership with Sharjah Art Foundation and is curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation.