Artists Nida Sinnokrot and Sahar Qawasmi of the collective Sakiya talk to Natasha Ginwala about their participatory ecological practice based in Ein Qiniya, a village near Ramallah.

Sinnokrot and Qawasmi speak about the importance of keeping alive sustainable relationships to occupied lands through ancestral systems of knowledge as well as the need to equitably share resources, not just between humans but all of life.

Discussing their SB16 works, they reflect on how the sculpture series ‘Water Witnesses’ (2020–ongoing) speaks to the interconnectedness of water, sound and infrastructure and how the installation ‘Capital Coup’ (2024)—which interprets the US Capitol Building as a chicken coop—comments ironically on ideas of security and governance. Tune in to find out more about Sakiya’s work, rooted in experimental pedagogy, residencies and research programmes.

‘Water Witnesses’ and ‘Capital Coup’ are on view at the Old Al Jubail Vegetable Market in Sharjah City as part of Sharjah Biennial 16 (6 February to 15 June 2025).

CREDITS

Host: Natasha Ginwala

Guest: Sakiya (Nida Sinnokrot and Sahar Qawasmi)

Editorial and Content Strategy: Jyoti Dhar, Kamayani Sharma, Mahshid Rafiei

Podcast Producer: Kamayani Sharma

Sound Engineer: Basil Kisswani

Shownotes: Rajwant Sandhu, Kamayani Sharma

Special Thanks: Nawar Al Qassimi, Jiwon Lee, Amal Al Ali and Osemudiamen Ekore

© Sharjah Art Foundation, 2025

This episode was recorded on 28 January 2025.