‘Echo of Lost Innocence’ by Bachir Mohammad: Visualizing the Impact of the Violence in Gaza on Palestinian Children
On 16-26 September 2024, Kuwaiti-Lebanese multidisciplinary artist, Bachir Mohammad unveiled Echo of Lost Innocence, a public installation made up of 15,000 teddy bear sculptures with feet stuck in concrete. Each teddy bear represents a child who has lost their lives in the Israeli invasion of Palestine that began on October 7 last year. Yet, 15,000 merely represents the number of childhood deaths that have been registered by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and thousands more are still declared missing.
Exhibited at the Barahat Msheireb Open Air Gallery in downtown Doha, Echo of Lost Innocence has able to attract the attention of many. It brings them in dialogue with the conflict and encourages them to take action against it, no matter how small. Mohammad is also working with Qatar Charity to use the installation as a donation collection point. Each teddy bear sculpture is also for sale, with 100 percent of its profits going to relief efforts for Palestinian children. This is why Echo of Lost Innocence Bachir Mohammad is relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.
During its time at the Barahat Msheireb Open Air Gallery, Echo of Lost Innocence had managed to raise QAR 1,500,000 (around USD 411,000) for Palestinian children. Now, Echo of Lost Innocence has already traveled as an installation to the Bin Jelmood House at the Msheireb Museums complex, where it will remain on display until 19 October 2024. For this iteration, 100 teddy bears were exhibited as part of the For the Children of Gaza charity art exhibition. This further goes to show Mohammad’s commitment to continuously display and sell pieces of Echo of Lost Innocence for Palestinian children’s relief.
In Echo of Lost Innocence, Bachir Mohammad poignantly captures the devastating toll of the Gaza conflict on Palestinian children in a powerful visual installation. He does so by memorializing the lives of 15,000 children in concrete-bound teddy bears, which transforms grief into a call for action, inviting viewers to engage with the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
His collaboration with Qatar Charity, as well as the installation’s fundraising efforts, demonstrates the tangible impact art can have in supporting relief efforts. As Echo of Lost Innocence continues to travel from one exhibition site to another, Mohammad's work becomes a lasting symbol of solidarity, urging global attention and action in pursuit of peace and justice for Palestine’s youngest victims. Since, as the t-shirt on the teddy bears proclaim: “I'm not just a number. I'm human. With an identity. With a homeland. I am Palestine.”
Find out more about Echo of Lost Innocence and other initiatives by Bachir Mohammad on his website www.bachirmohamad.com or Instagram @bachirmk.