Gallery Al-Quds Archives - Page 12 of 31

“Forbidden Colors” Coming to Light

July 27, 2021June 13, 2016 by Palestine Center Interns

By Palestine Center Interns — Sarah Dickshinski, Abby Massell, Zoë Reinstein, and Mirvat Salameh

This summer, Gallery Al-Quds presents “Forbidden Colors,” examining 30 artists’ responses to various forms of censorship or political pressure — specifically, the 1980 Israeli law forbidding artwork composed of the four colors of the Palestinian flag: red, green, black, and white. That the “forbidden colors” of the Palestinian flag still carry such a stigma indicates that exhibitions that bring exposure to this continuing issue are of the utmost importance. We are reminded that art is perhaps the most powerful tool of resistance and revolution, and the artists featured in this show exemplify this in the works they contributed.

What is the Value of Palestinian Cinema?

July 27, 2021June 6, 2016 by Samirah Alkassim

By Samirah Alkassim

When we consider what is most commonly encountered as Palestinian cinema, it is useful to borrow an analogy from linguistics. Double marking is when grammatical marks are placed at the heads of words, modifiers, and phrases as well as on their endings to indicate things like gender, case, and other distinctions. It occurs in both Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic, as well as in other languages. Likewise, Palestinian cinema is doubly marked.

Forbidden Colors: Artists and Censorship

July 27, 2021June 3, 2016 by Lucian Dieterman

Artists from the United States and abroad create work in all media exploring the concept of artists’ responses to various forms of censorship or political pressure specific to artistic production. The show takes its name from a 1980 Israeli law forbidding artwork of “political significance,” which banned art composed of the four colors of the Palestinian flag: red, green, white, and black. Palestinians were arrested for creating or displaying such artwork. The ban was lifted after the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.

New Palestinian Museum Opens in Birzeit

July 27, 2021May 24, 2016 by Lucian Dieterman

Palestine’s first national museum opened on May 18, 2016 in order to preserve and showcase Palestinian art and history.

Nakba Never Forgotten

July 27, 2021May 5, 2016 by Lucian Dieterman

The Nakba Museum began as the Nakba Museum Project of Memory and Hope, a series of travelling exhibits presented throughout the United States. It is comprised of artwork, photography, oral history, and graphs. All artwork is made by Palestinians living in the West Bank.

Summer Film Series: “Cinema Palestine” by Tim Schwab

August 9, 2021April 26, 2016 by Samirah Alkassim

This feature-length documentary explores the concept of Palestinian cinema produced by an effectively stateless people. Cinema Palestine combines in-depth interviews with directors including Hany Abu-Assad, Azza el-Hassan, Sobhi Zobaidi, Mai Masri, Tawfik Abu Wael, Annemarie Jacir, and many more, along with excerpts from their films.

Summer Film Series: “Recollection” by Kamal Aljafari

August 9, 2021April 26, 2016 by Samirah Alkassim

Composed entirely of footage from Israeli and American fiction features shot in Jaffa from the 1960s to the 1990s, Aljafari removes the Israeli actors to give the stage to people who appear by chance in the background, including both Palestinians and Iraqi Jews who were settled in the city. In so doing, he performs what he calls “cinematic justice” to the people who were made to appear as extras.

Summer Film Series: “Degrade” by Arab and Tarzan Nasser

August 9, 2021April 26, 2016 by Samirah Alkassim

Set in a women’s hair salon in Gaza during a confrontation between the police and a local gangster, effectively trapping the women inside, Degrade blends caricature and reality to emphasize the complexity of life in Gaza where people are afflicted by multiple nodes of pressure and the social space of women is increasingly circumscribed by these pressures.

Summer Film Series: “Roshmia” by Salim Abu Jabal

August 9, 2021April 25, 2016 by Samirah Alkassim

The film follows an elderly couple, Yousef and Amna, in their final stand-off with Israeli authorities to keep their rustic home, a shack in the Roshmia valley in Haifa. A friend encourages them to leave and works to secure municipal compensation for the couple, but tensions grow between Yousef, who refuses to leave his home, and Amna, who seeks to move on.