AN Australian pro-Palestine activist says she was arrested at gunpoint, falsely imprisoned and denied food and phone contact for 15 hours over what Israeli authorities say is a visa irregularity.
Plastic, video and paint on canvas illustrate one artist's view of the siege on Gaza
11.07.09 - 13:13
Nablus / PNN – Mohammad Harb has his work on display at the French Cultural Center. “Closed means Closed” is a five minute video installation that comes as part of his exhibit entitled, “Four Walls.”
The Palestinian artist also uses plastic along with strong colors glaring through spaces that bully with black stripes.
The story he tells is of people who desire only to enter or exit the Gaza Strip.
It was the experience of living under occupation and watching the siege on Gaza that birthed “Four Walls,” the artist said.
The works of art reflect the most complex details of life in the Gaza Strip. He also uses a reverent composition to illustrate what is holy. Color is used in such a way that at first glance the human body is a single block with its environs.
As for the video installation “Four Walls,” what prevails is a reflection on the state of siege and closure on the Gaza Strip and the basic inability of citizens to travel. It shows repeated attempts to pass the crossing, the processing of a bag, and each successive failure. The mounting tension is in some moments marked by camera work that concentrates on the fingers.
Artist Harb said he worked on “Four Walls” for two years. “It is a combination of research and experimentation and reading on the subject that culminated in Four Walls.”
Harb was born in 1979 and studied fine art and interior design at Nablus’ An Najah University.
