The Little Prince of Gaza exhibition is organized by the Dalloul Art Foundation in Beirut, in collaboration with the Palestinian Museum in the West Bank, Palestine. It is dedicated to the innocent children of Gaza who are victims of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian relentless conflict. This exhibition is not just a display of art; rather, it is a memorial, a narrative, and a poignant tribute to more than 10.000 young lives, ages zero to eighteen, currently lost, and to the endurance of a culture that continues to hope against all odds.

Inspired by Chaouki Choukini’s bronze sculpture titled Small Prince: Child of Gaza, 2010, this exhibition highlights the Palestinian cause in general and the conditions of Palestinian children in particular. Set against the backdrop of the continuing 2023 Israeli aggression on innocent Palestinian civilian lives, The Little Prince of Gaza exhibition offers a platform to highlight the Palestinian struggle and the voices that often go unheard within this conflict – those of children.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement and main governing body of the Gaza Strip, carried out a stealth attack on the Israeli border. Hundreds were killed and dozens taken hostage on that day. Claiming self-defense, the Israeli military retaliated with disproportionate escalation of hostilities upon the besieged enclave.

Despite the calls for a ceasefire, Israel and its allies continue to allow the ongoing genocide and unprecedented destruction[3] of Palestinian homes, basic infrastructure, and land, as well as the staggering devastation of its youngest inhabitants’ lives.

Key to this exhibition is the sculpture, Small Prince: Child of Gaza, which has been positioned center stage upon a podium, as it offers a concrete representation of who and what is being destroyed in the attacks taking place in Gaza. The statue, constructed from bronze and standing just over a meter tall, carries an intertwined storyline reflecting the fragmentation of the lives of the children of Gaza and its effect on them.

The Small Prince: Child of Gaza’s cubist style materializes the incongruity of a child perpetually stuck in a state of shock, as seen on the statue’s face with its wide eye and smallmouth, while also suddenly emerging as an unforgiving reflection of the brutal images of carnage coming out of Gaza. Where the material was meant to reflect the breakdown and disjointedness of children’s lives under occupation, it has now materialized as torn limbs, destruction of the safety of home, and the further displacement of Palestinians within their own lands. However, while some aspects of this piece embody the tragic reality, its carved heart tells us there’s more: through his engraved eye, the little boy looks toward the future, while his ever-present heart emphasizes the tenacity of life.

The title of the exhibition, The Little Prince of Gaza, pays homage to the universally beloved novella Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Le Petit Prince’s charm comes from the juxtaposition of the sincere naivety, innocence, and observations of its main character, the little boy, in his interactions with the absurdity and loneliness of the adults he meets on his adventures. The little boy is often frustrated by the inability of adults to understand anything important about the world without extensive explanations. While these exchanges are meant to romanticize the innate wisdom carried within all children who view the world through a lens of innocence, the little boy’s character growth comes through his understanding of the responsibility he owes to those he loves: “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” This is framed as a moment of true growth, where the little boy recognizes what is truly important in the world. Similarly, the statue tells us that for the children of Gaza, there should be room for whimsy and adventure, for personal growth into full-fledged adults; however, the truth of its construction with the hard bronze and fragmented cubism suggests another, much harsher, reality... etc...
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