People of The Book
Mixed media portraits of the people of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem - love it or hate it, it's one of the most fascinating and complicated cities on the planet. Fought over for millenia; destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed again. The spiritual home of three major faiths, with religious sites quite literally piled up on top of one another. A place where the histories of many peoples pour out through every crack. Where a treasure trove of Roman, Philistine or Hebrew artifacts is unearthed every time a new car park is built. A city of impossible diversity, intensity and hostility. A city that everyone lays claim to, but no-one can ever fully possess.
Ever since setting foot in Jerusalem 8 years ago, I have been obsessed with the city. The blood-soaked layers of history, and explosive cocktail of cultures and faiths has long captured my imagination and continues to inspire my artwork. Much of my work in the 'Pieces From A Broken Land' series focused on the place itself. However, this time I wanted to focus on the people and on the everyday scenes I encountered during my time in the city.
I wanted to express how the city in all its complexity is woven into the lives of its people. Collage in layers of overlapping sandy shades forms the backdrop to each scene, hinting at the city's patchwork of cultures and layers of history as well as the appearance of the beautiful Jerusalem stone. Fragments from a text in English appear throughout, with the words 'God' and 'faith' recurring, alongside scraps of Arabic and Hebrew writing reflecting the culture and language of each subject. The people themselves (3 portraits of Muslims and 3 of Jews) almost merge into the background, with the collage textures visible through the human forms.
The message of the pieces is, to some extent, open to interpretation. What is undeniable however, is the strength of feeling that all Jerusalem's inhabitants - whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian (all 'People of the Book') - have for their city. This shared love is suggested through the unifying style between all the pieces. Perhaps the colour palette and common style also suggests shared heritage and shared elements of faith. However, any suggestions of harmony in the city are merely a vision of an ideal world. In reality - especially given the country's new, hard-right wing government - this vision of peace is perhaps further away than ever..
