Artist Statement

I was born in 1980 in occupied Palestine. Borders, checkpoints and the feeling of being caged has been a constant experience throughout my life and naturally became a main subject of my artistic work.

My personal struggle against borders increased in the past years. My marriage to an Israeli woman emphasized how separated and segregated Palestinians and Israelis are from each other. My personal fight to break those borders and my struggle to leave Palestine has driven me to concentrate on my artistic work, as a tool of communication with my surrounding, to speak out against these forces.

Short C.V

Born in 1980 in Palestine. Studied in Jerusalem carpentry and architectural drawing and stone sculpting with Paul Taylor . June 2014 graduated a master degree in Fine Arts at the Vienna Fine Art Academy in the class of Prof. Heimo Zobernig

 

Between my Exhibitions: offering reconciliation: travelling exhibition organized by the Israeli-Palestinian forum of bereaved families for peace (2006-7), What you think you see:collaboration with Active stills (2008-9), Overlapping Voices - Israeli and Palestinian artists: Essl Museum (2008), Mortgage: solo exhibition at the VIDC, Vienna. In connection with the conference: perspective beyond war and crisis (2010), Travel-light: exhibition at Mayerhof (2011), Burka: Joined exhibition at the Osztrák Kulturális Fórum in Budapest (2012), MADE IN CHINA CZECH STYLE:über surreale Blüten einer Suche nach Identität created and curated by Friedemann Derschmidt (2013), WOSAMA: Diplome exhibition, Vienna Academy of Fine Arts (2014),Viennafair 2015(represented by the gallery Contemoporary Artemons), Borders:Joint exhibition with Adel Dauood, Gallery Contemporary Artemons(2016), Stiller Dialog:joint exhibition, EDUCULT, MQ Wien (2017), Never again Berlin/Wien (2018) collaboration with Transform Europe.

In the social-politicalfield, I worked as a teacher at StartWien - Das Jugendcollege 
Vielmehr für Alle!- Verein für Bildung, Wohnen und Teilhabe (2016-17)

and as a translatorand care taker in temporary refugee homes with Rote Kreuz (2015-16), in 2013 I conducted art workshops for high school students in Malmö in the frame of the screening of the movie “Love During Wartime” on the topic of Racism, Islamophobia and Anti-Semitismin. In 2012 I co-operated with the VIDC Vienna in the project: Wasser Weg?– on the Theme of “Alternative energy”.And in the years 2009-11 collaborated with the artist Tal Adler on the project One State- art performace as the embassadors of Onestate embassy in Vienna. 

Artist portfolio

 

“..I don’t want to be reduced to a certain cultural background, it cages me. I want to be open and think internationally through my art. I also do not want to be reduced into one artistic movement or style…

I can’t ignore my heritage and life experiences, but I can choose my way of relating to it, and always find a new approach… I don’t believe in “A culture”, each person has his/her own culture, as in a family, where each member brings his or her own character, even though they all belong to the same family background. Culture is a personal thing, everything and anyone is culture… we all have points of view, which we share, and each one sees things from his/her point of view and perspective. Just as we two sit in one room, but each of us perceives it differently at that moment…”

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