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PIIOTOGRAl'IIS BY ISRAELI AND l'AI.ESTINIAN ARTISTS JANUARY 25 - APRIi. 8, 2001

"PEOPLE WANT REAL PEACE'

This exhibition addresses a goal that seems impossible and inevitable at the same time - peace in the

.\1.iddle East between the Israeli and Palestinian people. Their cultures are like geologic plates painfully

grinding against each other. But politics. compounded by religious division. camouflages common bonds

of social and economic interdependence. Those bonds have driven the peace process in the past and are

the best hope for a resolution of the present conflict.

1---fope for peace and the horror of conflict are daily concerns of people who live in the .\1iddle East. But

those issues also concern people who live elsewhere in the world. For that reason. the Ohio Arts Council

and its partners have been inspired to assemble an exhibition of diverse viewpoints from the .\1iddle East

and to share it v.:ith audiences in >." orth and South America. We hope :t will encourage dialogue among manv different cultures about a situation that will continue to evolve over time and affect our lives for

vea:·s to come.

lIY:.ages i:1 this exhibitio:1 convey the realities a:1d aspirations of 11 Palestinian and Israeli photographic

artists. These artists certainl;1 desire peace. but in the face of the perpetual disappoi:1tments of the past

the:' view their world with a coIY:.bination of optimism. skepticism and irony. >."o matter what the future

:;.olds. t:-iis assembly of photographic artists' work reflects many aspects of everyday reality in the region

at the oegin:1ing of the 21st century. Whatever happens through political negotiation or armed conflict

is irrelevar.t to what these artists and their works have to say: Life will go on and people want real peace.

i:1 :he worcs of Israeli writer David Grossman.

Aspirations :ocuses on the medium of photograph}· because it is available to artists of manv different

oackgrounds. It also is adaptable to different artistic attitudes from the abstract and conceptual to the

politically motivated and photo-journalistic. And for viewers. it provides a common ground for grasping

these artists' widely differing messages.

We chose to assemble artists only from Israel and the Palestinian territories because their confrontations

are well known and closely watched around the world. The selection of specific artists was based on our

perception of each individual's ability to convey a sense of self, place and community to viewers far away

from ·· ground zero.,.

That is. we chose artists who create images that are both personally relevant and

universally recognizable. \:ELLA CASSOL'TO A:-SD ROBERT STEAR:-SS. CCRATORS

FALL, 2000

! don't ,scr:t to port rs, t.�e Palestinians as the good g'!)s and Israelis as the bad g:.y·s. 1Ve are tif.:o miserable g'!)'S caught in a t,cin:rcJJ. He reflect each other. our fears and our suspicions. That is our tragecjx We are z:e:_:,· complicated people. ,ce and thePciestinicr:s. -D,wrn GROSS\1A:\

Tr.ere are t,;,o pair.ts of z:ie,c. One is that of the politicians and the other is that of the general public. both Israeli and Palestinian. From the ?aiestinicn perspectic·e I beliez:e the authorities do not read our feelings correct9·. I'nere is a similar discrepanry befo;een the Israeli political circles and the feelings of the people. -AH :-.lAD HARB

Comme:1ts from an interview by curator �ella Cassouto with David Grossman. Israeli novelist and ?Olitica1

commentator. and Ahmad Harb. Palestinian writer and teacher at Bir-zeit Cniversitv.

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YEHOSHUA GLOTMA:\'

Clot man employs photographic prints, books a:1d video a:1d sound installatio:1s that question the status quo and er..couragc multi-cultural cxcha:1ges among .:\rabs and

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PHOTO CREDITS

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� COMMUNICATIONS SBN mogoz1no __ ., __

TOM, Left to Right: Issa Freij. Worker. 1986

Adi Nes. The last Supper. 1999

Kha led Zighari, Jews Celebrating Jerusalem Day. 1995 Sharon Ya"ari, lawns. one of a series. 1999-2000

Amit Geron. Untitled [Marsaba). detail. 1999 Noel Jabbour. Palestinian Interiors. one of a series. 1994-95

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