In the hope of creating awareness of the struggles and horrors of war and continual occupation of Palestine, the Children of Palestine is an exhibition of work by the students of the Palestinian Child Art Center in Hebron (al Khalil), Occupied West Bank. The children at the center use their drawings to discuss and deal with the ongoing trauma of living in dire circumstances.
The enduring occupation and collective punishment has led to disastrous human conditions in the Palestinian territories. The occupation and prolonged peace process has led to decline of rights, basic needs, public services, and security. The children are no exception to the suffering and it has taken a devastating toll.
The work that will be featured in the exhibition shows the damage and everyday violence while living under this occupation. The children use crayons to draw violence against friends and families, barbwire and chains, checkpoints, anger towards Israeli Defense Forces, tanks firing into homes, missiles, funerals, fire, and blood. Children are encouraged to draw what they have experienced and seen. They are asked to remember war and occupation to use self-expression to help improve the children’s emotional and physical well-being.
I have been talking and working closely with the Palestinian Child Arts Center (PCAC) in Hebron, West Bank, who have agreed to lend the artwork for exhibitions. The center was established in 1994; with hopes of helping traumatized children cope with the daily brutality and hostility that surrounds them. The focus of PCAC programs are children’s rights, development, and therapy through art, they have also published reports that discuss the devastating affects that continuous occupation and war has on children’s mind and behaviors.
War and occupation is discussed by the media, it is shown through photos and video, debated and analyzed by non-profits, intellectuals, writers, and artists, but rarely is it ever seen through the eyes of children. The artwork would allow for a new glimpse into the Palestinian life, while presenting the significance and weight of the children’s work and experience. I believe that the children’s art will bring diversity and risk to the gallery, while also asking people to reconsider how they view war and occupation. And though the work is not the definition of contemporary art, the concept and political gravity behind it speaks strongly.
The exhibition will develop a better understanding of the history and current conditions of the occupation through images and writings.
The enduring occupation and collective punishment has led to disastrous human conditions in the Palestinian territories. The occupation and prolonged peace process has led to decline of rights, basic needs, public services, and security. The children are no exception to the suffering and it has taken a devastating toll.
The work that will be featured in the exhibition shows the damage and everyday violence while living under this occupation. The children use crayons to draw violence against friends and families, barbwire and chains, checkpoints, anger towards Israeli Defense Forces, tanks firing into homes, missiles, funerals, fire, and blood. Children are encouraged to draw what they have experienced and seen. They are asked to remember war and occupation to use self-expression to help improve the children’s emotional and physical well-being.
I have been talking and working closely with the Palestinian Child Arts Center (PCAC) in Hebron, West Bank, who have agreed to lend the artwork for exhibitions. The center was established in 1994; with hopes of helping traumatized children cope with the daily brutality and hostility that surrounds them. The focus of PCAC programs are children’s rights, development, and therapy through art, they have also published reports that discuss the devastating affects that continuous occupation and war has on children’s mind and behaviors.
War and occupation is discussed by the media, it is shown through photos and video, debated and analyzed by non-profits, intellectuals, writers, and artists, but rarely is it ever seen through the eyes of children. The artwork would allow for a new glimpse into the Palestinian life, while presenting the significance and weight of the children’s work and experience. I believe that the children’s art will bring diversity and risk to the gallery, while also asking people to reconsider how they view war and occupation. And though the work is not the definition of contemporary art, the concept and political gravity behind it speaks strongly.
The exhibition will develop a better understanding of the history and current conditions of the occupation through images and writings.
