Alan Gignoux's documentary project Homeland Lost, now showing at P21 Gallery in London, presents resonant black-and-white photographs of Palestinian refugees alongside the sites of their former homes, destroyed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The exhibition captures the vast losses etched into the faces of the subjects, who either experienced the Nakba—the mass displacement of Palestinians—or are descendants of those who did.
Portraits of Loss and Defiance
Gignoux's subjects, now living in refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza, agreed to have their portraits taken on the condition that the photographer would visit their ancestral villages and photograph them. The resulting series offers a detailed account of the 1948 events, the circumstances of displacement, and the intergenerational repercussions. In one portrait, Fawzi al-Tanji, an elderly man from Tulkarm Camp in the West Bank, clutches a tattered official document proving his former residence in the fishing village of Tantura. The Haganah, a forerunner of the IDF, attacked Tantura in May 1948, and al-Tanji witnessed executions during the assault. Today, an Israeli swimming pool and recreational grounds occupy the site.
Bereft Landscapes
The landscapes Gignoux captures appear as bereft as the people, lacking the communities that once nurtured them. Eyewitness accounts accompanying the photographs repeatedly reference the abundance of olives, grains, figs, carob, and grapes that once grew in these now-raze fields. Where there was life, there is now nothing but silent, rubble-strewn abyss. The deep connection Palestinians have to the land is emphasized throughout the series.
A Glimmer of Resilience
Among the stories of violence, trauma, and grief, Gignoux highlights resilience. The standout portrait is of Sana Abubkheet, who at 19 became the first Palestinian woman to compete in the Olympics, running the 800 meters at the 2004 Athens Games. Gignoux captures her on Gaza Beach, her training ground, wearing her tracksuit with eyes closed and arms lifted joyously toward a blackened sky. This image represents the sole moment of elation in the show, illustrating that resistance often means simply continuing to live.
Contemporary Relevance
Originally sponsored by the British Council and created between 2004 and 2005, the project has gained heavy new layers due to the ongoing war in Gaza. People who fled as children are now grandparents, and their grandchildren inhabit the same reality—a loop of time that never closes. The gallery space itself is challenging, with low ceilings and an awkward ramp, but the focus is not artistic. Upstairs, a video piece combines more portraits and landscapes with a sound composition by Bint Mbareh and Joseph Sergi, placing individual stories in the context of enormous collective loss. An estimated 8 million Palestinians have been displaced since 1948, and today, 90% of Gaza's infrastructure lies in ruins.
Alan Gignoux: Homeland Lost is at P21 Gallery, London, until 19 July.
