An Evening with The Stolen Dove

Honoring Alex M. Odeh (1944-1985) 

Saturday, July 18, 2026

6-9pm

839 N. Cherokee Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90038

Sculptural element by Khalil Bendib

Presentation of The Stolen Dove at 7pm

Performance by Joshua Oduga at 7:10pm

Reading from Whispers in Exile (1983)

Hamasat fi al-ghurbah (همسات في الغربة)

Light refreshments will be served

As part of the current exhibition, Summer 26, 839 will host a special evening program centered on a bronze sculpture by Algerian American artist and cartoonist Khalil Bendib. The work is a component of his monument to slain Palestinian American poet, teacher, and civil rights leader Alex M. Odeh. 

The Stolen Dove, a project developed by artist Jon Rubin and launched in January 2026 in collaboration with the Grand Central Arts Center and the Odeh family, revisits the monument installed in front of the Santa Ana Public Library and dedicated in 1994. The memorial, the only in the United States to depict the physical likeness of an Arab American, has endured repeated acts of vandalism, including the theft in 2020 of the dove of peace held in Odeh’s outstretched hand. The dove was later recovered and reattached.

More recently, the dove was removed again, this time in coordination with the City of Santa Ana, the Odeh family, and with Bendib’s permission, so that it may circulate, carrying forward the story of Odeh’s life and work. By setting the dove in motion, the project invites participation in what may be understood as a living monument. The dove began its journey with Odeh’s daughter Helena and wife Norma, and is traveling to a series of homes and institutions connected to and inspired by Odeh’s legacy. Each host temporarily cares for the object and shares its story with their communities. The dove is scheduled to be returned to the statue in fall of 2027.

The evening at 839 will include an electronic music performance by Joshua Oduga, an interdisciplinary artist, curator, gallery director, and writer whose work is included in Summer 26. A selection from Whispers in Exile, Odeh’s 1983 book of poetry and essays, will be available in English and Arabic. 

Alex M. Odeh was born in Jifna, Palestine on April 4, 1944. He earned a BA in Political Science from Cairo University in 1967 and moved to the United States in 1972, where he later received an MA in Political Science from Cal State University, Fullerton in 1978. He was assassinated on October 11, 1985, by a tripwire bomb planted in his office at the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in Santa Ana, California. No one has ever been held accountable for his murder. The documentary film, Who Killed Alex Odeh?, directed by Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans, premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Excellence. The film examines the assassination and traces the extremist networks behind the attack.

Jon Rubin is an interdisciplinary artist who creates collaborative interventions into public life that re-imagine individual, group, and institutional behavior. He is a Professor in the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University, and has exhibited widely, including at the Shanghai Biennial; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Mercosul Biennial; the Carnegie International; and The Lyon Biennale; as well as in backyards, living rooms, and street corners. He is the recipient of the Carole Brown Award for Creative Achievement, the Andy Warhol Foundation Curatorial Fellowship, and the International Award for Public Art. He is the founder and organizer of National Museum, and co-curator of National Museum of the Aftermath at OXY ARTS in Los Angeles through August 8, 2026.

Grand Central Art Center (California State University, Fullerton) fosters connections between contemporary art and community engagement through exhibitions, artist residencies, and collaborative initiatives in and around Santa Ana, aiming to inspire creativity, foster inclusivity, and enrich the cultural landscape by connecting diverse communities with transformative art experiences. To learn more, visit: grandcentralartcenter.com. To inquire about hosting The Stolen Dove within approximately 30 miles of the Odeh monument at the Santa Ana Public Library, contact grandcentral@fullerton.edu.

Khalil Bendib is an Algerian American artist and political cartoonist based in Berkeley, CA, whose work addresses issues of power, identity, and representation across global contexts. He received a BA in Algiers, an MA from the University of Southern California, and has exhibited and published internationally. His 1994 monument to Alex M. Odeh in Orange County was his first public sculpture.

Joshua Oduga is a first-generation Nigerian American interdisciplinary artist, curator, gallery director, and writer based between Los Angeles and London. His artistic, curatorial, and research practices focus on archives, alternative histories, oral and musical traditions, exhibition systems, and the relationship between contemporary art, performance, and infrastructure. His work has been exhibited at the Torrance Art Museum, PAM, Durden and Ray, and the Claremont Colleges. He has curated and organized exhibitions and public programs with Art + Practice, the Hammer Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the Baltimore Museum of Art, Various Small Fires, and Jeffrey Deitch Gallery. In 2021, Oduga co-founded Central Server Works with Rachael Oduga as an artist-run gallery, publishing house, and interdisciplinary production platform focused on exhibitions, publishing, film, sound, and performance. Oduga holds an MFA in Fine Art and an MA in Arts Management from Claremont Graduate University, and will begin a PhD in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art in fall 2026.

839, founded by art historian Liz Hirsch and artist Joshua Smith in 2024, is a contemporary art gallery operating out of a 1924 duplex in Hollywood. The exhibition calendar, currently organized through 2027, features artists working across various media based between Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Berlin, and Michoacán.

Summer 26 is 839’s third annual group exhibition, bringing together represented artists, invited collaborators, and friends. Coinciding with the gallery’s second anniversary, the show offers a snapshot of the program at this moment, with work by Steven Durland, Olivia Gibian, Andrés Janacua, Jeremy Jansen, Hea-Mi Kim, Kyle Knodell, Seanna Latiff, Natalie Lerner, Ruhee Maknojia, Tucker Neel, Never Work, Joshua Oduga, Maddy Peters, Carolyn Lockhart Schoerner, Joshua Smith, and Pilar Wiley. On view Saturdays 12-6pm and by appointment through August 22, 2026.

20% of sales from the exhibition will be donated to London-based mutual aid group The Sameer Project, working to support displaced families in Gaza since early 2024, and established in memory of Gaza-born farmer Sameer Abu Salim (1943-2024). 

For images and inquiries: info@839gallery.com

Special Thanks 

The family of Alex Odeh; Jon Rubin; John Spiak, Director/Chief Curator of Grand Central Arts Center, Santa Ana; Emily Drumsta, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin; and RoRo’s Chicken, Hollywood.

Accessibility and Parking
We recommend public transit or parking in front of Bancroft Middle School on Las Palmas Ave., a short walk from the gallery. Please note that the gallery has a porch with four steps. Cats live on the premises; guests with allergies may wish to plan accordingly.

Press

​Matt Stromberg, "A Living Memorial to Palestinian Activist Alex Odeh Takes Flight," Hyperallergic (July 17, 2026)

Excerpted from “Little Thoughts” by Alex Odeh in Whispers in Exile 

Glendale: News Circle Publishing Co., 1983

Translations by Emily Drumsta (2026)

My little-little thoughts, which I present to you, dear reader, are culled from my many-many scattered papers, in whose lines I have tried, ever since I arrived in these strange and distant lands, to write down what I see fit to chronicle. I put them in your hands now, scattered as they may be, without any particular organization or chapter division… These little thoughts of mine are nothing but little points placed next to each other, but their rapid movement makes them into a continuous line, like a reel of film.

Through this movement, I tried to give expression, with all truthfulness and honesty, to life and freedom, as well as personal freedom—and here I am not speaking about political freedom, because it is the most limited of the freedoms, but rather personal freedom.. my freedom, and yours!

In my little thoughts, I cry and call out, with my most passionate thoughts and hopes, for us to try to understand our reality through everyday experiences, such that the movement continues in the right direction, in the sphere where we labor with truth, faith, and honesty.

* * *

أن تعصب عينيك في النار…

كأن تسمح بأن يدوسك القطار..

تصوّر…؟

to blindfold your eyes in fire

is like letting a train run over you

can you imagine…?

* * *

الكذب كالرماد الساكن

إذا هبت ريح شديدة..

تطاير واختفى…

lies are like silent ashes

when a strong wind blows

they scatter and disappear

* * *

لا أقلّ من أن نقول: شكراً

لكل من يحاول

أن يقول أو يكتب أو يرسم

كلمة صادقة للناس…

saying thank you is the least we can do

for anyone who tries

to say or write or paint

a true word for humanity

* * *

إذا كان من حقك أن تتكلم

فاعرف كيف تتكلم.. ومتى تقف عن الكلام

if you have the right to speak

know how to speak… and when to stop

* * *

أطلقوا سراحي…؟

لقد أعادوني إلى دموعي

they let me go?

more like they sent me back to my tears

* * *

حمامة السلام: قبلة جميلة

يحملها قلب إلى قلب آخر…

the dove of peace: a beautiful kiss

carried from one heart to another

* * *

تصوَّروا..

سؤال: ما هي الدول العربية الخمس التي وقعت ميثاق الأمم المتحدة عام ١٩٤٥؟

جواب: اسرائيل؟ .. وهي أول دولة خطرت على بال الآنسة المتسابقة التي خسرت دورها في المسابقة بالطبع..

الآنسة تدعي نان NAN فتاة جامعية

البرنامج سبليت سكند split second على محطة ABC-TV

التليفزيون الأمريكي   الاثنين ٢٣/٦/١٩٧٥

imagine…

Question: What are the five Arab countries that signed the United Nations Charter in 1945?

Answer: Israel?

… This was the first country that occurred to the young woman competing on a game show, who of course lost…

Her name was Nan, a college girl.

The program was “Split Second,” on ABC-TV

American television    Monday, June 23, 1975

* * *

خطواتك جميعها تعدّها بنفسك

إلى أي مكان تذهب إليه..

ويعدّها الناس لك

وأنت ذاهب إلى قبرك…

you yourself count all your steps

wherever you may be going

other people count them for you

when you are going to your grave

* * *

العفّة: منطقة منزوعة السلاح

تخضع لمراقبة دقيقة وشديدة..

virtue: a demilitarized zone

subjected to constant, watchful surveillance

* * *

ارح قلبك، تعش أطول

قالها محب عاقل..

rest your heart, live longer,

a sensible beloved once told me

* * *

الشخص الذي يغريك أن تقتل وقتك 

هو نفس الشخص الذي يكرهك…

anyone who tempts you to kill your time

also hates you

* * *

حاول دائما أن تكسب أكبر عدد من الأصدقاء

فربما تجعلهم يسيرون خلف نعشك يوماً…

always try to win the most friends

maybe you can make them walk in your funeral procession someday

* * *

أحب غربتي..

لأنه لا أحد يسألني

كيف أعيشها…؟

I love my exile

because no one asks me

how I live it

* * *

بعضهم يود أن يعيش أمس فاته

وآخرون يريدون لو يخلقوا من جديد

هؤلاء عصاة متمردين…

some of them want to live a trivial yesterday

and others wish they could create anew

these last are the rebellious revolutionaries

* * *

نتعثر بالاحجار في طريق حياتنا

فمنّا من يلقي بها جانباً..

ومنّا من يحملها في جيبه..

we all struggle with stones on life’s path

some of us throw them aside

others carry them in their pockets

* * *

الدبلوماسي: هو الرجل الذي يعتذر لك 

وفي جيبه اعتذار آخر…؟

the diplomat: a man who apologizes to you

with another apology in his pocket...?

* * *

شقاء الشباب:

عيون ضالّة وجفون ساهرة..

وحسرة يعوزها التفسير..

young people’s suffering:

lost eyes and sleepless lids

a sorrow impossible to explain

* * *

الدفاع عن الخطأ

كالكتابة على الماء

توهم صاحبها وتغرقه..؟ 

defending wrong

is like writing on water

it deludes its author

and drowns him

* * *

فقدك لضميرك…

كفقد النهر للمنبع

you miss your conscience

like a river misses its source

* * *

ليس المهم في حياتها.. كم تطول…؟

لكن المهم.. شكل هذا الطول

أتوافقوني يا ناس…؟

the most important thing in our lives is not how long they last

but rather the form of that length

don’t you agree?

* * *

سألني صاحبي يوماً

لماذا لا تستريح من التعب؟

قلت له: لأنني ما زلت أبحث عن راحة

أستريح عندها

one day, my friend asked me

why don’t you take a break if you are tired?

because I am still looking for rest, I told him

I’ll take a break when I find it

* * *

وطني في قلبي

كنوّارة حب ما أجملها

ندية..طرية..عطرة

ترفض كل قوانين الشيخوخة

my homeland in my heart

is like a bloom of love, so beautiful

fresh… dewy… fragrant

defying the laws of old age…

* * *

سألت حبيبتي يوماً: قلت لها:

ما هو الحب عندك؟ قالت: 

عذاب رائع.. وقلبي يحدثني أنه

بستان زهور لا يعرفه سوى

من هو فيه..

وصدقتْ حبيبتي…

one day I asked my love, I said to her

“what is love, for you?” 

“great torture,” she said, “and my heart tells me

it is a flower garden known only

to those who are in it”

and she was right

* * *

تصوّروا لو أن الجمال مقنّع

تصوروا لو أن الليل بلا قمر..

imagine if beauty were hidden

imagine if the night had no moon

* * *

هل يستطيع أحداً منكم

أن يقول لي: لماذا أطار الصورة

يكون دائماً أكبر من الصورة ذاتها…؟

can anyone tell me

why picture frames

are always bigger than pictures?

* * *

في أمريكا أسمعهم يقولون: 

حسب مقتصيات القانون..

وقانونهم جيوبهم يا ناس..

in America I hear them say

“according to the provisions of the law…”

but their pockets are the law, my friends

* * *

دراسة التاريخ

يحتاجها كل انسان

وكل صاحب «ضمير»…

every person

“of conscience”

should study history

* * *

سلام على كل من أحب وأعطى

عن عقيدة…؟

greetings to all those who have loved or sacrificed

for a belief

* * *

رأيت رجلا ينصب مشنقته

فعرفت أنه إنسان خائب يائس…

I saw a man setting up his own gallows

and knew he was a frustrated, hopeless person

* * *

الحقيقة تؤلم…

لكن الكذب يقتل…

truth hurts

but lies kill

* * *

لا أعرف رجلا

جرى يبحث عن المال

وتوقف…؟

I have never known a man

who chased after money

and stopped

* * *

من يكره ابتسامة الطفل

لا يعرف معنى السعادة

ابداً…

anyone who hates a child’s smile

will never know the meaning

of happiness

* * *

كثيرون يحلو لهم الكلام..

وقليلون هم المنتفعون به…؟

many people are pleased with words

but few are those who benefit from them

* * *

من أجل الحرية

نقاتل…

ومن أجلها نُقتل أيضاً…

we kill each other

and are killed too

for the sake of freedom

* * *

أعذب وأروع من غنى

لفلسطين…؟

صوت فيروز…

the sweetest, greatest singer

for Palestine?

the voice of Fairuz

* * *

معصوب العين والقلب..

إنسان فقد كل اتصال

يربطه بالإنسانية

a human blindfolded

in eyes and in heart

has lost all ties

with humanity

* * *

سألت الحرية

أين تنام..؟

قالت: في جفون أصحابها

I asked freedom

where do you sleep?

on the eyelids of those who are free

she said

* * *

حبي لبلدي

كحب الرضيع لصدر أمه

عفوي.. طفولي.. سماوي.. وأكثر

my love for my country

is like a nursling’s love for his mother’s breast

spontaneous, childish, divine, and more

* * *

القضية العادلة..

تصفق لها قاعات المحاكم..

courtrooms applaud

for just causes

* * *

الآبار العميقة

يصعب على ضعيفي البصر

كشف أعماقها

those with weak sight

have trouble seeing

into deep wells

* * *

سألت «السلام» عن أحواله..؟

فقال: ما زلت حياً..

لكنني أتنفس بصعوبة

هذه الأيام…؟

I asked “peace” how she’s doing

still kicking, she said,

but having trouble breathing

these days

* * *

ما أحلى

وما أروع وأجمل

ابتسامة الأطفال

how sweet

how beautiful, how wonderful

children’s smiles

* * *

السياسي المحترف..

هو الذي يساوم ويعارض ويناصر

ويرتكب كل الأخطاء

باسم «اللعبة السياسية»

the professional politician

bargains, opposes, and defends

commits every error

in the name of “the political game”

* * *

هناك صوراً عديدة للإنسان

لكن أجملها وانقاها..

طفولته..

people take many forms

but the most beautiful, the purest

is childhood

* * *

يا أهل الخير..

لا تجزعوا من الشر

فأنتم به أخبر

you, good people—

do not cry over evil

for you know it best

* * *

تسحقني أحلامي ألف مرة

ولا أثور..

يسحقني الواقع مرة

فاشتعل ثورة..؟

ظاهرة بشرية أحار في تفسيرها

my dreams grind me up

again and again

and I don’t resist

but reality crushes me once

and I light up in revolt?

a human phenomenon I cannot explain

* * *

في أمريكا..

يتلهون بكل أنواع الخطايا

ويقولون عنها..

حقوق دستورية…؟

in america

they enjoy all kinds of sins

and call them

constitutional rights

* * *

أعرى… أجوع… وأعطش

ولكن صون حريتي عندي

يقسِّم الآلام الثلاثة على ثلاثة

ليجعل حاصلها صفراً…

I am naked, hungry, thirsty

but keeping hold of freedom 

divides the three pains by three

making the quotient  zero

* * *

طريق الحرية

محفوف بالمخاطر

لكن أجمل عذاباتها

الحرية نفسها…

the path of freedom

is littered with dangers

but its most beautiful torture

is freedom itself

* * *

نعاقب أنفسنا أحياناً

عندما نتوهم..

أن الأبواب المفتوحة

تعني سهولة العبور خلالها…؟

we punish ourselves sometimes

when we imagine

that open doors

mean an easy passage

* * *

Translator’s Note:

Among the essays and hybrid writings in Whispers in Exile, Odeh’s “Little Thoughts” continues the aphoristic, spiritualist tradition often associated with Mahjar (“emigrant”) writing: Arabic literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by Arab exiles in the Americas, most of them from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. 

Influenced in part by American Romantics and Transcendentalists such as Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mahjar writers like Kahlil Gibran emphasized heightened sensitivity, emotional depth, and the ability to express philosophical insight through poetry and prose. They were also among the first poets to depart from classical Arabic meter and verse. 

Gibran’s The Processions (al-Mawakib), for example, elevates nature as a source of truth, challenging human systems of justice, organized religion, and morality. It was famously adapted by the Lebanese chanteuse Fairuz (whom Odeh praises as “the sweetest, greatest singer of Palestine”) in the song “Give Me the Flute” (A’tini al-Nayy). 

While Odeh’s voice in “Little Thoughts” is more restrained than Gibran's (he “whispers” where Gibran proclaims), his work continues a longstanding Arabic tradition of aphoristic writing. Such forms (al-amthal, or “sayings”) remain central in Arabic traditions, and are difficult to translate to an American context where they've mostly fallen away from both popular and literary culture.