I was invited to be part of this show at Somarts, the exhibit dealt with the idea of being a exile in your own land. This is something that Palestinians, Mexicans, Xicanos and indigenous people have in common. Having to deal with the loss of their land base and not being able to have the rights to their land or to move freely about them. For me this connection has been central to my work. I try to create images that show Palestinians and Indigenous people in a affirming and reflective manner. As a Xicano issues of land are very important to me, for hundreds of years we have been dealing with having our land taken away, we have not been able to live on our ancestral lands, or have ceremony in our sacred places or move freely through the continent. This is an issue indigenous people of the Americas are still dealing with, like the people in Chiapas who have taken up arms against the state to demand autonomous lands and the right to self determination. This is the same situation in Palestine, people are fighting to reclaim their land and self determination. As a Xicano i feel that we as indigenous people of Itzachilatlan, we need to be in solidarity with Palestinians and their struggle. We have to understand what they are going through and how our people have been through these same things.
Show Information:
A multimedia exhibit connecting the experiences of indigenous people in colonized nations, who, despite separations of great distances, share legacies of survival and resistance against being rendered invisible in their own land featuring Palestinian, Israeli, Bedouin, Native, Chicano and Latino artists:
Tal Adler, Zeina Barakeh, Jesus Barraza, Richard Castaneda, Sergio De La Torre, Hanah Diab, John Halaka, Catherine Herrera, America Meredith, Sean Nash, Favianna Rodriguez, Charlene Sul and Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie
Special Event:
Wednesday, Nov. 28th 6:30-9 pm
Featuring Rabia Abu Rabia from the Bedouin Council of Unrecognized Villages, and bringing together organizers, the artists and organizations involved for a dynamic conversation around the struggle against on-going colonialism, as well as to explore different understandings or experiences of ‘internal exile’. Join us for this cross movement building opportunity to put forward a vision for mutual support and future collaboration. $5-$10 suggested donation. No one turned away.
Co-Sponsors:
Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative (AMED), Break the Siege (BTS), Flashpoints-KPFA 94.1FM, Forrealism, General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS), Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA), Northern California International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and Zawaya.
Artist Bios:
Tal Adler, an Israeli artist of Jewish descent, has been documenting the stories of the Bedouin; indigenous people of the Negev (Israel/Palestine), whose villages are not recognized by the state of Israel and who struggle daily for recognition of their basic rights.
Zeina Barakeh is of Palestinian descent and was born and raised in Lebanon. She works intuitively and spontaneously, constantly rotating an arsenal of styles and aesthetic experiments in her self-reflective art.
Jesus Barraza is a Xicano poster artist and co-founder of Taller Tupac Amaru, a printing studio dedicated to creating political posters for the community. For Jesus, “making a Chicano poster is making a poster about the oppressed people of the world and linking our struggles to the Palestinians and the Zapatistas, two indigenous groups fighting for the liberation of their land.”
Richard Castaneda, originally from Salt River Reservation in Scottsdale, Arizona, re-envisions the strengths of the past and, through the realities of the present, brings to light the justice of time through his photography and art.
Sergio De La Torre grew up in the Tijuana/San Diego border area and migrated to San Francisco. His photographic, performance and installation works have focused on issues regarding diaspora/tourism and identity politics.
Hanah Diab’s work explores issues of family and life as a Palestinian-American and her feelings of never truly having been home. Diab’s paintings narrate moments of real and imagined experiences, and capture the spirit of struggle against injustice.
John Halaka’s experiences as an artist of Palestinian descent shape his pictorial investigations of cycles of repression and displacement as well as the personal and political relationship between desire, denial and instability.
Catherine Herrera’s work arises from her professional and personal experiences living in Mexico and the U.S., exploring themes of identity, family and ÒhomeÓ and, mitigation of cultural trauma. Her current work embraces notions of cultural healing and renewal, and spiritual development.
America Meredith is a Cherokee-Swedish conceptual painter who splits her time between San Francisco and Oklahoma. She is interested in the face of contemporary Native America, and her paintings explore the interactions between humans, plants, animals, and the environment as well as the unseen world
Sean Nash is of Choctaw, Muskogee Creek, Brule and Comanche descent. He creates educational and historically relevant paintings, contextualizing ancient indigenous iconography in a range of Native styles.
Favianna Rodriguez uses art as a tool for liberation, reflecting national and international grassroots struggles, telling a history of social justice through graphics, inspired and informed by the stylistic and radical impact of Chicano painters and printmakers.
Jackie Salloum is a multimedia artist and filmmaker who draws inspiration from the humble perseverance of her family’s struggle in their homeland, Palestine, and as immigrants in the US.
Charlene Sul was was born in San Jose, California and is of Ohlone and Latina descent. Her work art quilts represent the teachings of those who came before her and in honor of those who are yet to come.
Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie was born into the Bear and Raccoon Clans of the Seminole and Muscogee Nations, and born for the Tsinajinnie Clan of the Din� Nation. Claiming photography and video as her primary languages, she creates fluent images of Native thought; her emphasis is art for Indigenous communities.