FOR THE LIGHT! - Proposed Tour

 

FOR THE LIGHT!

Touring Art Exhibition | United States & Israel

Overview

 

• Antisemitism has reached alarming levels worldwide since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.
• Anti-Jewish hatred and anti-Zionist rhetoric have intensified across:
• Universities
• Social media
• Public discourse
• These trends are fueled by:
• Misinformation
• Extremist propaganda
• Growing cultural and political polarization

 

• For the Light! is a touring art exhibition that responds through the universal language of art.
• It navigates the delicate balance between great loss and the Jewish people's resilience.
• Created by American artist Dr. Amer Hanna Fatuhi, who is neither Jewish nor Israeli.
• The artist's ancestral homeland is Iraq, the birthplace of Abraham, patriarch of the Hebrew nation.
• Through paintings and sculptures, the exhibition:
• Promotes empathy and understanding.
• Challenges prejudice and antisemitism.
• Presents Jewish history, resilience, and lived experience.
• Affirms Israel's right to live in peace, security, and dignity.
• Encourages education, dialogue, and solidarity through art.

Exhibition Sponsorship

• Envisioned as a three-city tour across the United States and Tel Aviv, Israel.
• Seeking patronage from:
• Jewish organizations
• Philanthropic families
• Foundations
• Corporate sponsors
• Mission:
• Combat antisemitism through art, culture, and education.

Potential Patronaged Organization

• Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM)
• Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)
• Council of American Jewish Museums (CAJM)
• ANU – Museum of the Jewish People (Tel Aviv)

Potential Lead Sponsors | $200,000

• Gary Wasserman (Wasserman Projects) – Michigan
• The David Berg Foundation – New York City
• The Samuel and Jean Frankel Jewish Heritage Foundation – Michigan
• Robert Kraft's Foundation to Combat Antisemitism
• Milstein Family Foundation
• Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies

 

Proposed Tour

Michigan

• Dates: October 7–14, 2026
• Venue Options:
• Cranbrook Art Museum
• Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center
• Purpose:
• Commemorate the third anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attacks.

New York

• Dates: October 28– November 6, 2026
• Laurie M. Tisch Gallery at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, the gallery

Los Angeles

• Dates: November 18–25, 2026
• Venue Options:
• Holocaust Museum LA or Skirball Cultural Center

Israel

• Dates: October 7–28, 2027
• ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, Tel Aviv University
• Purpose:
• Commemorate the fourth anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attacks.

Sponsorship Benefits

Philanthropic Impact

• 50% of the artist's 75% share of artwork sales. The 20% sales (Roughly $300,000) will be donated, in the sponsor's name, to organizations supporting victims and survivors of the October 7 terrorist attacks.

Gallery Support

• 25% of artwork sales (Roughly $150,000) will support participating galleries and exhibition operations.

Recognition

Sponsors will receive:

• International visibility.
• Media coverage.
• Exhibition branding.
• Educational programming recognition.
• Community outreach exposure.

 

Legacy Gift

• Each principal sponsor and host gallery will receive a museum-quality artwork valued at $30,000 (or an equivalent work if the original has been sold).

Artwork Delivery

• Purchased artworks will be delivered after the international tour concludes.

Sponsor-Funded Host Gallery Responsibilities

• Exhibition installation.
• Marketing and promotion.
• Artwork transportation.
• Artist accommodations.

About the Artist & Project Founder

• Dr. Amer Hanna Fatuhi, who has been developing For the Light! since the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks, is an American artist, author, and former prisoner of conscience.
• Under Saddam Hussein's regime, he was:
• Imprisoned.
• Tortured.
• Sentenced to death three times because of his beliefs.
• Recipient of the 1984 AIAP/UNESCO International Award.
• Creator of the exhibition For the Light!, using art to combat antisemitism, promote dialogue, and foster cross-cultural understanding.
• Author of The Jews of Babylon: Past & Present (2023), documenting the history, heritage, and enduring legacy of Mesopotamia's indigenous Jewish community.

 

Official Website & Blog

Additional information, selected artworks, publications, and independent critiques are available at:

• www.AmerFatuhiArt.com
• www.atelier-ahf.blogspot.com 

PS. The Expected Budget Breakdown Chart is available upon request.

EDEN

EDEN

 

"The State of Perfection, Peace, & Harmony before the Fall"

 

Biblically, the Garden of Eden means "delight" in Hebrew. However, thousands of years earlier, the term Id-en was derived from two Proto-Kaldi words meaning River(s) and LORD. It was also known as Id-Gen-na ("the rivers' garden"), or, in its abbreviated form, Heaven. Heaven symbolizes the ideal state of unbroken harmony between humanity, the animal kingdom, and the natural world.

This artwork explores the ancient concept of Eden (Id-en in Cuneiform), using the visual language of Logogramism and vibrant colors to symbolize the harmony between humanity and nature.

The composition also reflects the concepts of divine boundaries and moral agency. Humanity is portrayed in a state of uncertainty, confronted with the choice between the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the gift of eternal life represented by the Tree of Life, which signifies immortality and the life-sustaining grace that comes solely from God.

The work also recalls the timeless question that haunted the first known epic hero, Gilgamesh: How does one choose after becoming aware of good and evil? Eden represents the moral freedom granted to humanity while reminding us that free will requires boundaries and that obedience to God is essential for preserving the paradisiacal state. 

Beyond its symbolic narrative, EDEN emphasizes the dialogue between tactile materials and visual language. Through a multimedia approach that incorporates everyday materials alongside pictographic symbols, the work invites viewers to engage with both its physical texture and its conceptual meaning.

The dominant visual and tactile elements include the terrestrial paradise (Kur), humanity—lavishly adorned with pictographic symbols that reflect both dignity and pride—the Tree of Life, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the arrow (ti), an ancient symbol representing life and positive vitality. Surrounding these central motifs are representations of humanity, the animal kingdom, and the four principal rivers of Eden.

The layered mixed media and richly colored pictographic symbols create a multidimensional surface. Acrylic paint, modeling paste, granular gels, natural soil, and sawdust are combined to establish texture, depth, and symbolic boundaries while evoking a sense of peace, harmony, and spiritual balance.

Ultimately, the symbols and textures work together to create a unified composition that expresses humanity's enduring longing for paradise—a timeless dream that transcends archaeology, history, and spirituality.

 

Subject: EDEN

Technique: Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas

Measurements: 24 x 36 Inches

Date: June. 2026

Price: $30,000

 

Zion’s Light

 

The Light of Zion: A Call for Hope! 

If we wish to survive in this age of triviality and hatred, we must focus on the bridges and spiritual commonalities between the worlds of Christianity and Judaism. Zion may be seen as a cornerstone where souls and freedoms converge: it is the beating heart of Jerusalem, the dwelling place of the Lord and the Kingdom of David, while in Christianity it symbolizes the eternal Kingdom of God and the gathering place of the redeemed—thus linking the hope of the Old Testament with the reality of the New Testament. As I seek to avoid falling into the trap of religious excess, I focus in my work on the essence of true religions, which regard love and peace as their fundamental pillars. From this perspective, I see Zion as the true window that connects the material world with our spiritual refuge. 

The artwork Zion’s Light was executed using the Logogramism style. It is characterized by free movement between visual elements rendered in layered, mixed media and areas of freely flowing, warmly graduated colors, all within a composition resembling a schematic plan of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The Temple Mount in this spiritual work encompasses three principal symbols, signifying the peace of the Lord and His divine power protecting Solomon’s Temple, alongside the Temple itself as a symbol of civility and order associated with divine justice, while above the scene, a warm sun radiates.

One can also discern the tomb of King David adjacent to the left side of the wall of the Temple Mount area, while surrounding the walls are chromatic formations that allude to the darkness of hatred and violence encircling the City of Peace.

 

It is worth noting that Zion’s Light, an abstract–symbolic artwork, stands as a manifesto and a call for peace against violence, and for love against hatred.

From a technical standpoint, the artwork expresses the Logogramism style with high craftsmanship and fidelity to visual symbols whose significance derives from the antiquity of the land where the foundations of writing were invented—the land in which Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, was born. In short, Zion’s Light is a call for hope in a world besieged by the forces of darkness.

 

Subject:  Zion’s Light

Technique: Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas

Measurements: 36 x 36 Inches

Date: Dec. 2025

Price: $35,000

IMPASSE

 

The known way is an impasse. ~ Heraclitus

IMPASSE

The word “Impasse” in the language of our ancestors — from whom our father Abraham, the patriarch of the Hebrew nation, descended — was “SILA, suqāqu.” This word came to my mind as I was looking at a marble sculpture of a nude female from the Uruk period, dating back to c. 4000 BC. That statue represents one of the finest examples of the artistic advancement that blended abstraction and realism. Even though I usually think of the “Lion of Eridu” sculpture when I refer to blending abstraction and realism. In fact, “Lion of Eridu” is another figurative artwork that skillfully employs simplified lines and abstracted details.

For years, I had aspired to create an artwork inspired by both of these ancient artworks, yet for one reason or another, I never did.

During a visit to the British Museum, my eyes fell upon a terracotta sculpture crafted by my brilliant ancestors, titled “The Goddess of the Night.” It depicts the goddess Ereshkigal, deity of the underworld, executed in a simplified style that reduces the multitude of details typically found in such magnificent works. There is a striking resemblance between the pictographic word “Sila” and a visual feature that immediately draws the viewer’s eye — one that also appears repeatedly in statues of the Mesopotamian Mother Goddess, symbol of fertility, dating back to the 6th millennium BC.

Eventually, I decided to create the artwork, titled “Impasse,” which embraces the simplification of form and color in a way that echoes the achievements of my ancestors — the founders of the cradle of civilization. It also takes my Logogramism style on step further.  

To achieve such a mixture, I used only neutral colors (black, white, and their gradations) in acrylics combined with natural materials such as sand and glue, in order to give an impression of the intersection point between doubt and certainty, as well as greater gravity to capture the viewer’s attention.

This artwork appears to the observer as simple as it is complex, and as mysterious as it is clear. And so, the viewer stands before it, wondering and uncertain — is it an impasse or a solution?

 

Subject: Impasse

Technique: Acrylic & Mixed Media on Hardboard Canvas

Measurements: 22 x 28 Inches

Date: October 2025

Price: $23,000

The Invisible Significance of Destiny

 

DESTINY 

Since I was six years old, or I might still be, I dreamed of interpreting and sharing my dreams with the world. However, to make my dreams come true I promised myself to be as resilient as I could so that I would be able to walk my path and meet my destiny!                                                             

The Invisible Significance of Destiny from my viewpoint refers to the idea that while we may not be able to see or fully understand the forces shaping our lives, there is still a powerful, underlying "destiny" at play, influencing our choices and experiences, often connected to concepts of fate, or divine will.

It is noteworthy that my ancestors happened to be the first to address this concept in the Epic of Gilgamesh. My ancestors were also the ones who created a pictorial symbol called šīmtu in the 5^th millennium BC. Šīmtu which symbolizes a shorebird was also the main theme in the "The Myth of Anzu" aka "Tablet of Destiny" characterizing the mythical bird Anzû.

This concept inspired me to depict my special view of destiny using the Logogramism art style that I created in 1988.  Although I am more comfortable using the 1/3 ratio to control the surfaces of my medium, I found myself diving into the canvas this time using two major areas with sub-sections that represent Earth (Arsu) mixed with layers of Sea (tāmtu) and Sky (ilu), meaning, "The ground and surrounding water we live on and heaven we seek". In other words, the physical world, or Earth, where we currently exist, while simultaneously looking towards and aspiring to a spiritual realm, that we call "heaven".

To make this artwork more interesting, I added the third realm of the "Twilight Zone" between Earth covered by layers of water, and Heaven, where we can leave our limited physical bodies that are captivated by gravity and be elevated to a higher level of existence made out of pure energy, i.e., souls. This realm of inevitability faces the symbol of traveling to nowhere (mātu | three triangles), which marks the many years I spent looking for a new home of hope.

        I consider this artwork the perfect outcome of my many decades of experience using pictographs. This artwork also shows the consistency of a solid style, free of any kind of red lines. My long-appreciated technique can be easily recognized, especially the combination of mixed media and acrylic performed with brush strokes of heavy and light colors (shade and tint), as well as the flash movements of palette knife layers. Destiny is a passionate theme that links the mind to the heart and creates an atmosphere of love, spirituality, and the desire to explore our darling dreams.

Subject: Destiny

Technique: Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas

Measurements: 36 x 48 Inches

Date: Dec. 2024 - Final touches, Feb. 31, 2025

Price: $35,000

A Boat that Won't Sink or Float

 

Heart vs. Mind!

This piece is another Ekphrastic Poem from my January 31^st, 2022, Book of Poems, The Book of Love, chapter II (Dandanah/Crooning). This piece of poetry is also considered one of my shortest poems. This poem is about deep but hesitant lovers, whose feelings are like a boat that, "Neither floats nor drowns out". These kinds of lovers try hard to stay balanced or maintain a middle ground, not being overly dominant or completely ignored. This kind of love essentially describes a situation where something is present but doesn't completely take over or disappear, maintaining a neutral position to survive the unpleasant outcome!

As a wise man stated once: “Don’t love too deeply until you’re sure that the other person loves you with the same depth, because the depth of your love today is the depth of your wound tomorrow when you lose her.” The question is, how could you lose someone who's not yours in the first place? 

What’s between us is a boat

On water, neither floats

Nor drowns out!

 

ما بيننا زورق

لا يطفو على الماءِ

ولا يغرق! 

Following the footsteps of the LOGOGRAMISM which I created in 1988, the pictograph symbol of the boat is the main focus of this artwork. The boat in Akkadian, my ancestors’ language, is called madgallau. This symbol was executed using different kinds of natural glue, mixed media, and vibrant colors to attract the viewers, the way gravity keeps us in orbit.

Every art lover can easily notice that the symbol of the boat looks like sails throughout the canvas by harnessing the force of the colors and texture instead of the wind on its sails. The texture and the many layers between the top and bottom composition play a magnificent role, especially when using soft and thin effects in the top in contrast to rutty and heavy brush strokes and palette knife effects in the bottom section. 

           In music, we use dynamics to describe how loud or soft a piece of music should be played. The same context can be used when dealing with dynamic colors and texture to move between the static surface and a dominant area full of energy resulting from passionate flash strokes.  

To create balance and at the same time have a panoramic sweet spot for placing the focus, i.e., the symbol of the boat, I used a special composition that I created years ago. I called it the "Diamond Ratio" which I used first in the late 70s in my artwork, "The Eternal Cold" purchased at the time by a friend of mine who was studying architecture and civil engineering, as well as my other painting, "Lady L’s Sorrow", which was also obtained by another known civil engineer. The entire scene is a mixture of abstract expressionism techniques and pictograph symbolism that is all about establishing a heartfelt connection with the viewer and conveying strong emotions and attitudes similar to starting a kind of love story!

 

Subject: A Boat that Won't Sink or Float

Technique: Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas

Measurements: 30 x 40 Inches

Date: Dec. 2024

Price: $35,000

Jihad

ART vs. Evil

An Art Manifesto to Right the Wrong

 The Mercenaries of Chaos

    Throughout the Middle East, One sees lands stolen from its natives with one clear exception, the State of Israel. This statement is supported by archeological, historical discoveries, and biblical data. 

    Ironically, the colonizers of the Middle East who used to have the might that they lost centuries ago become good at nothing but playing the victim role. From ISIS to Hamas, these fanatic militants and dark forces brought nothing but chaos, confusion, and complete disorder. 

    Artists are known for being freedom fighters and art is their weapon to debunk the colonizers, expose the colonization, and right the wrong. 

    Since October 7, 2023, I have been working on many of my new pieces that bring attention to the terrorist atrocities and humanitarian crisis, without distancing myself from my art path and Logogramisim style.

 

    Jihad is an art manifesto to stop the unjust (Jihadists' atrocities and war crimes). It is also an invitation to survive the nightmare of a world heading toward chaos and self-destruction from England to Sweden, Belgium, France, etc. This artwork depicts three major pictographic symbols: shakhu, the warthog herd (hostility and impurity), kur - three mountains (death, displacement, and chaos), and gu - the top right symbol (riverside and border). The artwork reflects the sadness and the hideous story of October 7^th in a specific and broader view, as well as the malicious colonization of Mesopotamia, Israel, and the rest of the civilized world by the ruthless and uncivilized Arab-Muslim nomads in the 7^th century.              

    It is worth noting that both natives of Israel and Mesopotamia have the same roots and culture, Gen.12:1 and Gen 15:7; thus, this artwork is the journey of sorrow and survival of these most ancient and unique natives. 

    From the scholarly artisan angle, choosing the emphasis technique gave the composition the needed space by using contrasting values, i.e., colors, sizes, or layers of texture, to avoid having a focal point. Also, using a combination of large and small elements and mixed media created a sense of equilibrium and harmony, and an utterly balanced surface. 

    To create a sense of flow and energy, the major visual elements of the warthog symbol are repeated with mixed colors and layers of heavy paint, as well as using the palette knife effect, which strengthens the shape and makes it quite pivotal. 

    Although playing with multiple textures is somewhat risky, using sand, fabric, and other media gave the painting the required touches of toughness vs. the softness of the vibrant background. This work is a clear example that art can create emotional foundations for a brighter future. Undoubtedly, Jihad, aka The Mercenaries of Chaos, is a strong moral manifesto of art vs. evil!

 

Subject: JIHAD

Technique: Acrylic & Mixed Media on Canvas

Measurements: 30 x 40 Inches

Date: Nov. 2024

Price: $30,000