I recently completed this mural in the Palestinian village of At-Tuwani located in the south-Hebron Hills.

This mural was organized in collaboration with Youth of Sumud ,  a youth group that conducts non-violent activity to resist the Occupation.

I met Sami Huraini, one of the key figures in YOS and a prominent activist, as part of another project of mine that deals with scars and borders in which he shared the story behind the scar that runs along his entire calf.
The scar was caused a few years as a result of one of the many attacks carried out by Israeli settlers, in which said settlers hit Sami while driving a 4×4 buggy after chasing him off the road.

The imagery in the mural depicts the character sewing/mending the broken wings of birds and releasing them to fly free.

The Arabic writing in the banner reads: “On this land, there is what makes life worth living”.The sentence, requested by Sami, is taken from a poem by well renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, that speaks about the minutiae that embodies the spirit of Palestine, both in its idyll form, and its reality.

I feel that it’s necessary to give a little background about the area in which the mural is located in order to give context to the imagery and my intentions behind it:

Masafer Yata, the broader region in which At-Tuwani is located, consists of primarily farmer and shepherd communities who rely on working the land to make a living and sustain themselves.

The Palestinian residents of the area are the recipients of constant harassment and violence at the hands of the Israeli military and Israeli settlers ultimately working to displace these communities.
A long list of human rights violations are carried out against the Palestinian communities on a regular basis; property and water/electricity sources are destroyed both by settlers as well as the military under the claim that they were built illegally (permits for Palestinian construction is practically non-existent), whereas Israeli settlers are essentially free to establish and expand their settlements and outposts on Palestinian land with government support (it’s important to point out that these settlements are illegal according to international law).

Freedom of movement is prevented by not allowing the use of roads connecting villages. For example, children are attacked by settlers on their way to school requiring Israeli soldiers to escort them instead of holding the settlers accountable. As illogical as this is in the first place, the military presence also gives way to close off the area under the pretense that they are ‘closed firing/military zones’, preventing the movement of even more Palestinians wishing to travel throughout villages in the area for whatever reason.
The same military-backed violence is carried out by settlers against shepherds and their sheep during grazing and herding.
Activists, both Palestinian (such as members from Youth of Sumud) and international, are commonly arrested or detained for exercising their basic rights or trying to protect those doing so, whereas the settlers are protected by the military.

In short, there are two laws, one for Israelis and another for Palestinians who live under military rule.
The examples of violence are virtually endless and branch off into an extensive network of actions enforcing a military occupation of a people on their own land and severe violation of basic human rights, in attempt to suppress and break the spirit Palestinian residents of Masafer Yata (and other areas of the West Bank).

The mural is an ode to the persistence, the overcoming and the resilient spirit of those enduring the reality forced upon them by the enforcers and perpetrators of the Occupation.

Thank you to Sami and the Huraini family, Omer Shamir, Alon Bonder and Alma Beck for allowing and helping to make this happen, each in their own way.

2021 Print Club

21.12.20

This year it is a series of silkscreen prints on plywood, with the base coat of each print individually applied and later adding hand touched/painted elements in the image.

 

This not only makes each print unique, but along the tactile materiality of the wood, the prints essentially resemble original pieces.

 

The prints are in a limited edition of 50, so the number of available subscriptions is also limited to 50.

*Prints come unframed. Image of framed print is for suggestion only.

In support of the paradigm-shifting protests happening worldwide, I’ve created a new section on my website titled ‘Signs of Hope’, from where you can download free hi-res images of mine to create signs, posters or anything else that you can think of in order to support the cause nearest and dearest to you. 

I will be updating this page and adding more images sporadically, so make sure to check back often. If you make something or use these images (for non commercial purposes only), please make sure to tag me on social media or send photos/videos to me so I can share and spread the word!

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ADISH x Know Hope Collaboration

Gestures   I’ve also released a small series of ten original drawings, all revolving around hand gestures. Hand gestures have been a recurring and consistent theme in my work, as I feel that they convey the ‘in between’ moments of our more decisive and deliberate statements. They’re telling in their ambiguity and their suggestive and vulnerable nature.

I want to thank you for all the continuous support, which means so much more in this complicated and uncertain time period.