My first art show is now up on the walls at the Jerusalem Fund's Gallery Al-Quds. Hopefully, the gallery will be open for people to visit soon on a limited basis, but the work is all online, along with descriptions [PDF] -- and there will be a online chat on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 3 p.m. ET. Hope to see you there, please feel free to spread the word. [The video of the talk is now here.] [As of mid-Sept., in-person Gallery viewing is available by appointment only through the curator on a first come basis: Mondays and Tuesdays at noon, 1:30 p.m. 3 p.m. and on Sundays at 3 p.m. when minimal staff is present with physical distancing precautions followed. Please email curator Dagmar Painter directly at dpainter@thejerusalemfund.org to arrange. Gallery Al-Quds is at 2425 Virginia Ave NW]
The show was originally slated for months ago. On the night of March 11, I loaded up the car with my art for the show "Invisibly Present / Visibly Absent". The following day, the show was called off and I unloaded it and put the art back into my home. A virus invisible to the human eye very much made itself present and much human interaction became visibly absent.
In fact, themes touched upon here are clearly related to the pandemic., rooted in examining what our relationship should be with Nature. Our hubris needs to be tempered, our desire to control and conquer Nature needs to be checked. Failing to do so does tremendous to the outside world and to our inner lives.
These notions are especially relevant if the ultimate causes of the pandemic are human actions like factory farming, deforestation or -- more directly -- the very real threat of dangerous bio-laboratory work. Nature (as in Katrina in New Orleans) or "alien" culture (as in Chinese wet markets) are often blamed for disasters rather than actions of establishment institutions.
It's fitting that this work appear at the Jerusalem Foundation's Al Quds Gallery since the Israeli assault on Palestinian people and culture is the "tip of the spear" in many respects of a settler colonial / corporate model attack on indigenous populations whose culture tends to work more with Nature. My trips to Palestine have been a source of inspiration in my artistic work and several pieces, especially “Answer Key” relate to Palestine.
Very special thanks to Executive Director Mohamed K. Mohamed and the entire staff and board of the Jerusalem Fund — especially to Curator Emerita Dagmar Painter.