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The Palestinian Museum - In the Presence of the Holy See

The Palestinian Museum – In the Presence of the Holy See

| On 21, Mag 2015

Un mashup visivo tanto crudo quanto vero.

di Redazione Art Vibes


Gli attivisti del Museo della Palestina, in occasione della visita di Papa Francesco nel giugno dello scorso anno, hanno promosso un’interessante iniziativa volta a riflettere sulla situazione geopolitica attuale, e sul tema dell’identità come terra e popolo.

Le composizioni, autoesplicative, sono formate da due opere combinate tra loro. Stampe dell’archivio UNRWA sono mixate con fotografie attuali di rifugiati; poste le une accanto alle altre, si interrogano su come la vita dei rifugiati palestinesi sia cambiata o non sia riuscita a cambiare negli anni successivi alla loro espropriazione.
L’esilio e la perdita, da sempre temi dominanti del racconto palestinese dal 1948, sono combinati con dipinti barocchi occidentali di scene bibliche. Se i quadri interpretano episodi della vita di Cristo come mezzo per glorificare Dio e diffondere i suoi insegnamenti, le fotografie hanno ben poco da glorificare.
Le tele bibliche inscenano allegorie dei valori cristiani: carità, misericordia, compassione, e fede verso un Dio giusto e amorevole. C’è sofferenza e sacrificio, ma si mantiene viva la speranza della vita eterna. Ciò che le fotografie documentano è invece il quotidiano in una zona in perenne conflitto, frame da cui emerge una chiara assenza di compassione cristiana.
L’incongruenza delle immagini combinate è un importante richiamo alle ipocrisie che hanno spesso caratterizzato questo territorio. Due narrazioni asincrone del conflitto, ma un unico racconto della tensione tra i valori cristiani e la situazione di molti che professano questa fede del mondo.

Ci sembra giusto dare spazio a questa riflessione visiva, anche per veicolare il messaggio che solo attraverso il confronto e la capacità critica sia possibile instaurare un nuovo tipo di dialogo, sfruttando il l’arte e la creatività per risvegliare tante coscienze ormai da troppo tempo sopite o restie alla conoscenza della verità.


– photo courtesy of: unrwa.org – credits: © Jamal Arouri – © Alexandra Boulat – © M. Nasr – © Tanya Habjouqa – © Ahed Izhiman

– via: palmuseum.org


 

Abraham’s Sacrifice - (c. 1635)  - Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn  - photo: Israeli soldiers overwhelmed by the smell of dead bodies in Jenin refugee camp, West Bank. 16 Apr. 2002  by Alexandra Boulat
Abraham’s Sacrifice – (c. 1635) – Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn – photo: Israeli soldiers overwhelmed by the smell of dead bodies in Jenin refugee camp, West Bank. 16 Apr. 2002 by Alexandra Boulat

Madonna of the Rosary (c. 1607)  - Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio - photo: Israeli soldiers arresting a Palestinian on a roof during a protest against home demolition in Kharbatha bani Hareth, North of Bil’in.  by Jamal Arouri
Madonna of the Rosary (c. 1607) – Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio – photo: Israeli soldiers arresting a Palestinian on a roof during a protest against home demolition in Kharbatha bani Hareth, North of Bil’in. by Jamal Arouri

Palestinian refugees walking across Allenby Bridge on their way to Jordan, July 1967.  Myrtle Winter  - UNRWA photo archive. A woman runs terrified from her house in Bint Jbail during a “temporary cease fire“ in South Lebanon during the Israeli led war of 2006.  by Tanya Habjouqa
Palestinian refugees walking across Allenby Bridge on their way to Jordan, July 1967. Myrtle Winter – UNRWA photo archive. A woman runs terrified from her house in Bint Jbail during a “temporary cease fire“ in South Lebanon during the Israeli led war of 2006. by Tanya Habjouqa

Madonna of the Rosary (c. 1607)  - Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio  - photo: Sun is shining through what was once the roof of a Palestinian Refugee shelter in the Burj el-Barajneh camp, Lebanon 1993.  by M. Nasr  - UNRWA photo archive
Madonna of the Rosary (c. 1607) – Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio – photo: Sun is shining through what was once the roof of a Palestinian Refugee shelter in the Burj el-Barajneh camp, Lebanon 1993. by M. Nasr – UNRWA photo archive

Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary (c. 1516)  - Raphaello Sanzio da Urbino - photo: Via Dolorosa, old city of Jerusalem.  by Jamal Arouri
Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary (c. 1516) – Raphaello Sanzio da Urbino – photo: Via Dolorosa, old city of Jerusalem. by Jamal Arouri

The Deposition (c. 1507) Raphaello Sanzio da Urbino  - “In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem.“ Zechariah 12:11 photo: Israeli soldiers kill a Palestinian and detain others, downtown Ramallah. 31 Mar. 2002  by Alexandra Boulat.
The Deposition (c. 1507) Raphaello Sanzio da Urbino – “In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem.“ Zechariah 12:11
photo: Israeli soldiers kill a Palestinian and detain others, downtown Ramallah. 31 Mar. 2002 by Alexandra Boulat.

Christ healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda (c.1670)  Bartolomé Esteban Murillo  “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” John 5:8 photo: A Palestinian passes into Gaza via the Erez checkpoint. 24 May 2006  by Alexandra Boulat
Christ healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda (c.1670) Bartolomé Esteban Murillo “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” John 5:8 photo: A Palestinian passes into Gaza via the Erez checkpoint. 24 May 2006 by Alexandra Boulat

Crucifixion of Saint Peter (c. 1601)  Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio  photo: Palestinian peasants attacked by Israeli settlers during olive harvest season in Salfit, West Bank. 25 Oct. 2006  by Alexandra Boulat
Crucifixion of Saint Peter (c. 1601) Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio photo: Palestinian peasants attacked by Israeli settlers during olive harvest season in Salfit, West Bank. 25 Oct. 2006 by Alexandra Boulat

Lamentation of Christ ‭(‬c. 1606‭)‬  Annibale Carracci  photo: First lifting of the curfew in Jenin refugee camp after the Israeli raid. 15 Apr. 2002  by Alexandra Boulat
Lamentation of Christ ‭(‬c. 1606‭)‬ Annibale Carracci photo: First lifting of the curfew in Jenin refugee camp after the Israeli raid. 15 Apr. 2002 by Alexandra Boulat

Baqa’a refugee camp, Jordan 1969.  G. Nehemeh  UNRWA photo archive . Birzeit road, as vehicles movement was blocked at Surda checkpoint, 2003.  by Jamal Arouri
Baqa’a refugee camp, Jordan 1969. G. Nehemeh UNRWA photo archive . Birzeit road, as vehicles movement was blocked at Surda checkpoint, 2003. by Jamal Arouri

Ecce Homo (c. 1605)  Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio “Ecce homo!“ John 19:5. photo: Palestinians crossing Qalandiya checkpoint on their way to Jerusalem. 20 Apr. 2002  by Alexandra Boulat
Ecce Homo (c. 1605) Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio “Ecce homo!“ John 19:5. photo: Palestinians crossing Qalandiya checkpoint on their way to Jerusalem. 20 Apr. 2002 by Alexandra Boulat

One of the few remaining refugees after the civil strife in Jisr el-Basha camp, passes a quiet moment in the partly damaged Pontifical Mission Church, Lebanon 1976.  UNRWA photo archive . Palestinian Presidential Headquarters (al-Muqat’a), Ramallah 2002.  by Jamal Arouri
One of the few remaining refugees after the civil strife in Jisr el-Basha camp, passes a quiet moment in the partly damaged Pontifical Mission Church, Lebanon 1976. UNRWA photo archive . Palestinian Presidential Headquarters (al-Muqat’a), Ramallah 2002. by Jamal Arouri

A partly demolished Palestinian house in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip 1989. Hashem Abu-Sido - UNRWA photo archive Qalandiya checkpoint 2013. by Ahed Izhiman
A partly demolished Palestinian house in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip 1989. Hashem Abu-Sido – UNRWA photo archive Qalandiya checkpoint 2013. by Ahed Izhiman

Further reading:

– Palestinian Museum website: palmuseum.org


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