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Untitled
& Self Portrait Series
installation and photography
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The
Self Portrait series represents a commentary on contemporary
Western media representations of the Palestinian as terrorist.
This project started as a result of my growing frustration with
the way in which the Palestinians and other Arabs were being
represented and, in some cases, misrepresented in Western Media.
In addition, I was drawn to the apparent similarities between
the Myth of Sisyphus and what can be characterized as the growing
“myth” generated through the Western media, specifically the
myth that all Palestinians are terrorists and that the Palestinian
intifada, like Sisyphus, seems condemned to an endless cyclic
struggle. Transcending media representations has been an ongoing
“uphill battle” for Palestinians and all Arabs.
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In
The “Untitled” A and B series are both concerned with barriers,
land, longing and, ultimately, belonging. It is an extension
of themes I have been exploring for the past few years. During
the process leading to these images, it became increasingly
clear to me how barriers, land, longing, and “identity” inform,
shape and define each other. |
The term “identity” is highly contested and can be taken to
mean many things depending on the context. Nevertheless, there
has been widespread agreement that significant aspects of
identity are related to a particular place; hence, national
identity results from connections to an individual’s country
of origin.
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As
I attempt to come to terms with the issues related to my personal
experience as a Palestinian-Kuwaiti that has never lived within
the borders of Palestine, it has become apparent that this
current body of work seeks to transcend the obvious reference
to the barrier being constructed in Palestine. The “walls”
and “mounds” that appear throughout the images also speak
of my own individual struggles irrespective of the conventional
notions of national identity.
Tarek Al-Ghoussein
July 15, 2005
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