Art, Heart and Progress - A Manifesto Declaring Refugees in Lebanon As An Art Community Until Proven Otherwise
In a shared world, I, like many, believe that it is a legitimate act, to raise issue when things are glaringly unfair and the institutions we have created to respond in arbitration are not responding adequately, to end the state of unfairness. I appreciate that this is not an easy task. In that spirit, this blog series, seeks to highlight the centres of art and protest, by and for Palestinians.
I have tried to include a wide range of artists from different perspectives, from across the world. I myself am learning about this conflict and the artists as I build this collection, this is currently a living page, being updated as you read, expect edit notes.
This is not an endorsement of the political views of any of the artists; mainly because I do not have the right to comment on how Palestinians should see their future.
Khaled Hourani
Khaled Hourani is an established artist in the Contemporary arts scene, a curator, and art critic. He is also the co-founder of the International Academy of Art of Palestine, which is located in Ramallah.
Khaled Hourani’s manifesto, originated when “…he discovered that the refugees in Lebanon were banned from all professions except that of Artist…”- [Bashir Makhoul & Gordon Hon, 2013], using the medium of audio and paper, 29.7x42cm. He seeks to convey, the stark reality of living in a refugee camp. The project is based on the following law:
“[a] foreigner, other than an artist, is prohibited from carrying on in Lebanon any work or occupation unless permitted to do so by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs under the valid laws and regulations” — Article 25: of Lebanese Law pertaining to entry into, residence in,and exit from Lebanon
Khaled Hourani writes that, “Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon are prohibited from practising more than seventy professions, except, fortunately, art. More than three hundred thousand refugees live in camps under dire conditions, and have been waiting for longer than sixty-two years, to go back to Palestine, deprived of civil rights, the right to move freely, seek higher education, and own property, to cite a few examples. This art community made up of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon (JAMAL) is a voluntary, non-regional, non-governmental, non-political and non-partisan association, neither aims to make profit nor loss, and is totally independent. It was established in 2010 by a group of artists and activists in the fields of culture, life and refugee issues, with the aim of extending being in the world as an artist to the realms of human rights for refugees... “ — Extract from Sharjah Art Foundation Website
In addition to Hourani’s creative merging of politics and art, he is known for achieving the seemingly impossible. He was the initiator of the 2011 Picasso in Palestine project, that brought an original Picasso painting in the West Bank for the first time in history. The school borrowed and exhibited Picasso’s Buste de Femme(1943), from the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven.
“It took two years of planning and involved the collaboration and help of many people and organisations to overcome , apparently insurmountable problems…negotiating complex international, legal and financial hurdles and problems of security and conservation” —(2013, Bashir Makhoul & Gordon Hon: P46). The final success of the exhibition of, “Picasso in Palestine”, whispered hope, of a future without occupation and with unbound creativity
This is part of a series of posts, under the heading of Art, Heart and Progress, see links below, to find out about other artists.
References
Title Image: Artist Abdulrahman Katani depicts life in the refugee camps through recycled scrap metal, taken from blog, “Powerful scrap sculptures depict life in Beirut’s Shatila refugee camp” in the Green Prophet, Sustainable News For The Middle East. http://www.greenprophet.com/
Makhoul, Bashir & Hon, Gordon, (2013), “The Origins of Palestinian Art”, Liverpool University Press, Liverpool
Sharjah Art Foundation,Project by Khaled Hourani, 2011, More Info: http://www.sharjahart.org/people/people-by-alphabet/h/hourani-khaled
Tolan, Sandy (2016) “Picasso comes to Palestine: After an odyssey that underscored the realities of Israeli occupation, Picasso’s ‘Buste de Femme’ arrives in Ramallah” by Sandy Tolan in Aljazeera online| 16 Jul 2011 accessed 25/03/2016 21:48 Link http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/07/2011715131351407810.html
Previous Posts
On Choice
- Good Robots
- Can we have a better choice then “Shoot to Kill”, please?
- Inventors, Engineers, Innovators — Where are you?
- Changing the Options on Killer Robots
- Have you seen this virus?
On Truth
- Understanding Data in War and Peace
- News Neutrality and News Integrity — societies need for impartial and truthful information.
- Has Anybody Seen the Truth Lately?
On Change
On Progress
- Art, Heart and Progress — Art Activism
- Art, Heart and Progress — The Artists
- Art, Heart and Progress — The Art Galleries
- Art, Heart and Progress — Photography
- Walking Backwards Slowly
- The Devil Is in The Detail
