This is the photo I took of photographer JR's work on one of the division walls erected by the Israeli government to divide what they consider Israeli land from what they consider to be the future state of Palestine, (often not in line with the internationally agreed division line, and never to Palestine's benefit).
TED announced this week that JR will be the recipient of their seventh annual TED Prize. A somewhat anonymous 27-year-old Parisian street artist who's made a name by pasting larger than life photographs in some of the poorest areas of the world, JR's selection is a bit of a departure from some previous, high-profile winners such asJamie Oliver, Bono, and Bill Clinton.
I first had the opportunity to see JR's work when I was living in Cambodia. The French Cultural Center kicked off the first ever Phnom Penh Photo (PPP) Festival, in which I also took part.
JR's photographs were posted throughout the walls of the French embassy, making it impossible for passer by's to ignore.
There were some pretty cool exhibitions around town. Important artists from all over the world, some less renown but just as exciting, especially for a city that had never seen anything like this.
There were, of course, also some local artists.
The festival was closed off with the night of 1000 lights, where photographs were shown in one of the large town squares in larges screens surrounded by lights. the families did what they traditionally had done in that square: brought their pic nics and took a spot in the square, except that night they were surrounded by somethingn completely new and differnt.
1 comment:
the Israeli government to divide what they consider Israeli land from what they consider to be the future state of Palestine, (often not in line with the internationally agreed division line, and never to Palestine's benefit).
That is not entirely accurate. The walls were erected to help with security, to prevent terrorism.
And the borders are not internationally agreed upon either. It is a complicated issue that is exacerbated by the lack of a uniform government among Palestinians.
Hamas does not recognize Israel. They launch rockets from Gaza into cities in Israel that have never been in dispute.
It is very easy to try and paint this as a David v. Goliath picture but entirely too simplistic to do so.
Post a Comment