Yuad5

Shorouk Azayzeh shazmawj@gmail.com

Eram Aghbaria eram.agh15@gmail.com

Leena Hawash lenahawash@gmail.com

Aseel Jamama’a aseel.jamamaa209@gmail.com

The Graduates:

Madlene Abboud Madlenabb5@gmail.com

Elham Tamimi elhamtamimi85@gmail.com

Mina Dweik minadw562@gmail.com

Omniya sbah Omniya.sbah@gmail.com

Nizar Qadah kadahnizar@gmail.com

Intisar Khales entesarkhales2@gmail.com

Noor Jbaren noor.jbaren12@gmail.com

Taimaa Saleh taimaasa@gmail.com

Haifa Zalatimo haifa.zalatimo@gmail.com

Jomana Nujedat Jomana.nujedat88@gmail.com

Walaa Abou Obeid mwallaaobeid@gmail.com

Rawnaq Mahmood rawnaq.mah@gmail.com

Yasmine Tams yasmine.tams@gmail.com

Roaa Hamad roaahamad16112000@gmail.com

Saraa Ibrahim sraa.artist@gmail.com

Eram Aghbaria

B. 2000, Jatt Beit Berl CollegeHamidrasha

Aghbaria holds a B.A. in plastic arts and a teaching diploma from Beit Berl College - Hamidrasha. She works with different media: video art, drawing, and performance.

childhood memories

breathe in breath out balloon suppression

Bubble black stain exposure

contradiction consciousness

unconsciousness

Two eyes

Photography Daniel Hanoch

Repression , 2023, mixed material on canvas, 230x180

Aseel was born in the village of Yafa and grew up surrounded by struggling construction workers.

As she grew up, Aseel was exposed to socialist ideas that changed her worldview. Photography made her realize the power of the camera in revealing transparent places and worlds.

In this video installation, Aseel captures the daily routine of Palestinian construction workers on their way from construction sites in Haifa to the Jalama checkpoint, where they wait for the bus on the side of the road or sit together, tired and silent.

The workers are the stars of this video art, where the banal becomes aesthetic, and the hardship transports into beauty and meaning.

Aseel Jamama ׳a

B. 1997, Village of Yafa Wizzo Academic Center

Photography Leena Hawash

Tamimi B. 1991, Jerusalem Al-Musrara College of Arts

Nature is a recurring motif in my art. In previous works, I photographed human intervention with nature, like electricity poles in the forests of Jerusalem and a train track between the trees.

This work is also about nature, but from another angle: my dreams being scattered in front of the reality of my life.

I have always dreamed of a small house surrounded by a garden in a quiet area away from the city and its noise and smug. We found a piece of land that we

liked, but it was in the West Bank, and I could not move there because then I would lose my health insurance and other rights.

Then, we obtained a building permit for land in Sur Baher that we bought ten years ago, but it was different from what I had dreamed of for so long. It was a crowded residential area surrounded by buildings. It did not have the calm that I longed for, but it was the reality that was imposed on me.

Elham

Omniya holds a bachelor’s degree in arts and interdisciplinary studies (majoring in psychology and archaeology) from the University of Haifa and a diploma in arts guidance.

Omniya’s art is inspired by sunflowers that follow the sun throughout the day.

The flower’s behavior reminds the artist of her ability to find inner harmony and focus on the positive in life.

Omniya’s work explores the transformative power of changing personal mindset.

Omniya Sbah B. 2002, Kisra Sme’a Haifa University

Intisar Khales

B. 1999, Jerusalem

Bezalel Academy of Art and Design

A Fashion and Jewelry Department graduate at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.

Khales specializes in unisex fashion.

Her work expresses her personal experience and shifts between reality and imagination. Khales’ work conveys profound messages using fine details and design techniques that express her artistic vision.

Obesssion expresses Khales’ pursuit of geometric perfection. The work reflects a sense of alienation between the person and his body by Simulating the knitting of masks and the art of sewing.

Obsession

Beauty ideals and high standards of physical looks are the main reason why there are people that develop plastic surgery addiction. This addiction is a result of societal norms and pressure to look a certain way. In my project I’m altering the body shape with the aspiration to bring it to a state of engineering perfection. Using the image of the mask and tailoring work I ask to show the dissonance between a person and their body ideals. The plastic surgery addiction has caused us as individuals to reject the body we were born in. Using my project I want to bring awareness to self-love and acceptance. Materials: Plastic thread, bronze, brass, crystal beads, plastic beads Techniques: Sewing, knitting, interweaving.

Photography Guy Reshkoven

Born in Nazareth, Haifa-based, Taimaa

Saleh holds a B.A. in fine arts from Haifa University. She mainly works with photography. Her works usually discuss social traditions and challenges, from a personal and social point of view.

My work reflects my journey toward understanding and expressing my Palestinian identity and its various components.

I explore the complexity of my ideas through photography and video art. My work also sheds light on the social and cultural dynamics.

One of the main parts of the work is my relationship with my mother. Despite my strong relationship with her, her religious beliefs made us grow apart. This experience has inspired me to research the tension between personal identity and growth, and the dominant social traditions and beliefs.

I use photography and video art as a means to express myself. I capture the moments that inspire me and echo my feelings and thoughts. My work aims to create a safe space for reflection and expression.

Taimaa

Jomana Nujedat

B.1988, Village of Nujeidat Oranim College

Jomana Nujedat, 35 years old, a mother of two, is a visual artist based in the northern village of Nujeidat. Nujedat is an Oranim College of Art gradiate.

During my studies, I investigated topics that interest me, such as motherhood, marital relationships, family, memories, heritage, and childhood. These topics are an integral part of my life.

The topic of personal identity has added value and highlights its importance in my work. Personal identity is essential to my work, as I believe that art must express the artist’s identity.

Echoing Embroidery - Installation, embroidered fabrics. A Memory-Evoking Smell - Installation, spices carpet. Two installations: The first is a canvas hung in a way that both sides are seen, and the second is a rug made of spices. Both works evoke distant childhood memories.

Memory Evoking Scents , 2023,

Rawnaq Mahmood B. 2000, Majdal Shams Haifa University

I was born in the village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, and I hold a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies and fine arts from the University of Haifa. My environment influences my art and inspires me to explore the world’s complexities. My work addresses topics such as self-search, utopia, and the

influence of childhood experiences on the way we see the world.

I use different materials and tools, such as pastels on fabric, ceramics, or toys. My work conveys a sense of movement, disorientation, and even anxiety, creating a world that ranges between the familiar and the surreal.

Home , 2023, Pastel on canvas, 114x213 cm

Photography Ariel Warhpting

Roaa Hamad

B. 2000, Jerusalem

Bezalel Academy of Art and Design

Roaa Hamad was born and raised in Shufat, Jerusalem. She holds a B.A. in plastic arts from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Hamad works mainly in sculpturing using clay, fabrics, and cement. Her final project, “Wall,” is made from clay and cement.

Wall

A year ago, I started having thoughts that ended with an idea and a question about (who supports whom in the family). Does my father support me and try to understand me, or am I the one who supports him and tries to understand him? And that the mother is the home, although it is a general sentence, but I took it personally because my family is my inspiration, and it is the reason from which I started

and started the idea of my project. In this exhibition, sculptures of the spine and back are presented. I sculpted the back from cement and the backbone from clay, so I built the size of the back like the size of my father’s back, and removed the spine from its original place, dismantled it and enlarged it ten times the normal size, and chose it because it is the base of the body. As for my choice of materials, clay and cement, I chose a very solid material, which is the cement, and a soft and living material, which is clay. As an expression of the mixture between my mother and father, I carved each vertebrae of the spine separately and independently, with different details, like members of my family.

Saraa Ibrahim

B. 1999, Mghar

Haifa University

My name is Saraa Ibrahim, and I am a multidisciplinary contemporary visual artist. My work addresses ethics, good and evil, and psychological and physical harm we cause to ourselves and others (including animals in general and fish in particular).

Since I was 11 years old, I used to clean fish with my father (the fisherman), mother, and older sister at the family fish shop near our house. I didn’t find this strange in the beginning, but as time passed, I began to question our relationship with the fish. I felt guilty because I had caused the fish pain after it was retrieved from the sea. I thought maybe what I was doing wasn’t ethical. I wanted to stop, but it wasn’t my choice.

My work addresses other aspects of my

life, such as the fears and moral conflicts I express through painting and sculpture. I used monochromatic colors in the painting to express my mourning and respect for fish that die while still alive. My work also sheds light on my feelings towards the fish and my father. My sculptures are a tribute to the fish. Using dry clay, which is different from the soft nature of the fish, makes it stronger and more immune; this liberates me from the guilt over what I used to do to the fish.

My work will make viewers rethink their behavior towards others: humans, animals, and fish.

Window Girl , 2023, Oil on Canvas, 100x27 cm x12

Shorouk Azaizeh, 24 years old from Nazareth, holds a bachelor’s degree in photography and screen-based arts from the WIZO Academic Center in Haifa. Azaizeh’s photography career began in 2019 with stills, then video. In December 2022, Azaizeh directed her first short documentary, released in July 2023 and screened at the 2023 WIZO Alumni Exhibition.

Nawaf

The film portrays the daily life of my father, Nawaf. With a realistic and intimate look at his everyday life, the film invites its viewers to ponder the human experience, the relationship between work and freedom, and the search for meaning in a seemingly banal existence. Through long shots and brief dialogues, the film raises questions about isolation, loneliness, the past, and the relationship between man and the earth.

I am a Wizzo Academic Center graduate in photography and screen-based arts. Through my photography and video work, I try to blur the “boundaries” between me and the people I photograph, «research» how reality intersects with photography, and how photographers interact with their photography subjects. I take pictures of my family and surroundings to understand my identity and where I belong.

Until the image appears

My father passed away when I was 5. I only remember him from old printed photos. Twenty years later, I pick up a camera and confront my mother and grandmother with his memory and their own troubled stories of sacrifice and displacement.

Leena Hawash

Photography Ariel Warhpting

Untitled , 2023, mixed media

Madlene Abboud B. 1999, Shefara’am Haifa University graduate in Fine Arts

My work comprises different media, mainly sculpture, photography, and prints. I usually start working by photographing a scene and recording conversations with people. I collect information and build small archives I use as reference.

My art expresses ideas connected to daily life in my society, especially norms related to women’s sexuality, along with philosophy and imagination; this to present things in a unique way that challenges the Arab primitive traditions and beliefs, such as virginity and honor.

The graduation project is flat plaster figures containing small sugar wax statues displayed on shelves hung on the wall. In the center of the room, a flat tile where a cube of sugar wax stands surrounded by six cubes made of a mixture of sugar wax and prints. The installation also includes two videos on television showing an arm and leg being violently waxed.

The work recalls memories and scenes from my childhood and the profession of my grandmother, who used to make sugar wax and sell it to her neighbors while being discreet about the waxing and keeping it a secret from the men around.

Untitled , 2023, cube of burnet suger

Mina Dweik

B. 2000, Jerusalem Al-Musrara College of Arts

Mina Raed Dweik is a Jerusalembased artist. Dweik holds a diploma in photography from Al-Musrara College of Arts.

«I Combine images with other materials. Art is a puzzle I always try to solve. It can also be an explosion of memories, feelings, thoughts, and dreams.»

A Volcano in Jerusalem

This work is about my childhood home in the village of Silwan, where two different ethnic groups, Palestinians and Israelis, live. Can these two groups coexist? What could their encounter result in? Especially in light of the Israeli government’s demographic

and administrative policies, including Judaization and Hebrewization of the Jerusalemite space and discrimination and persecution against the indigenous Palestinians. I took random photos while walking around Jerusalem, then chose several photos of the mountain in Silwan, where my home is, taken from different angles at different times of the day and in various sizes.

The work combines images processed through Photoshop, wood, and light. I printed the pictures in different sizes and chose the color orange to connect them.

Photography Rawan Golani

Nizar Qadah

B. 2000, Kafr Manda

Bezalel Academy of Art and Design

Nizar was born in Kafr Manda. He studied photography at Bezalel College of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. Nizar’s work is mainly political and documentary.

Israeli colonialism has led to a hybrid, complicated reality that has shaped the identity of the Palestinian minority. The photographs taken in the village of Kafr Manda in the north reveal the complexity of Palestinian identity in Israel as reflected in architecture and landscape.

Noor Jbaren is a multidisciplinary artist from the village of Msheirfa, Talaat Ara.

Jbaren was born in Afula in 2000 and holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Haifa (2023).

She is now pursuing her studies at Beit Berl College to obtain an arts teaching certificate.

Jbaren works with different techniques, such as oil painting, sculpture, and prints. She often uses cement in her work, whether in sculpture, in combination with oil paintings, or with ready-made objects.

The Sky Postman

The conflicts of being a Palestinian woman living under the occupation greatly influences Noor’s art. Noor uses her art to search for her true identity, not the Israeli identity imposed on her by the state, and explores how humans identify themselves. She began searching the memory of her ancestors who passed away and left behind a granddaughter

with many questions, searching for her identity in the hallways of the old house. While searching, Noor found a wornout notebook with her grandfather’s handwriting that was not easy to read. Simple words in a rural dialect documenting rainy days and the date of the construction of his son’s house began as a desperate attempt to prove his right to exist in a mountain where everything is threatened with demolition.

On another page, she found her grandmother’s name. «Zeinab,» written next to a series of numbers summarizing her life and being.

Noor finds refuge in the spiritual world represented in her abstract work, where the fluidity of colors transfers into a solid cement that reflects the harsh reality we live in.

Noor is still standing in front of her grandfather’s old house window, trying to find answers lost under the dust of memory. Still, something is preventing her.

The Sky Postman , 2023, oil on canvas, 60x80 cm

The Sky Postman , 2023, oil on canvas, 25x35

The Sky Postman , 2023, oil on canvas, 50x70 cm

The Sky Postman , 2023, oil on canvas, 50x70 cm

Photography Ariel Warhpting

Haifa Zalatimo

B. 1994, USA

Al-Musrara College of Arts

Haifa Jamal al-Din Hisham Zalatimo was born in the USA and now lives in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood in Jerusalem. Zalatimo holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Birzeit University in Ramallah and a diploma in photography from Musrara College of Arts in Jerusalem. Her works result from experience and exploration and have historical and scientific motifs.

A Surreal Life and the Manipulation of the Subconsciousness

Art is what led Haifa Zalatimo to where she is now. After achieving her goal of studying architecture, she worked toward a new achievement and joined Al-Musrara College.

Zalatimo built three-dimensional collages based on oil paintings of still lifes, photographs, and photographic prints.

The Idea Behind the Project When I interpret art, I rely on the writings of the artist, researcher, and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, the mathematician Febinacci, and the architect Vitruvius.

The process began with analyzing still-life oil paintings and examining the composition and lighting. Then, I produced 3D collages based on the paintings.

The composition is based on visual manipulation, on the ability of the brain and the subconscious to deceive us. The work raises questions about illusion and deception. What is the truth? Is what we see or is it what we interpret of what we see?

Photography Rawan Golani

Walaa Abou Obeid B. 1996, Basmat Taboun Oranim College

Walaa Abou Obeid is from the Bedouin village of Basmat Taboun. Over the years, Abou Obeid has researched and tried to embody her inner self in her work. Abou Obeid has drawn since she was in kindergarten. I was supposed to exhibit my work in an exhibition at the University of Haifa when I was in high school, but I canceled it for personal reasons.

Before I began my university studies, I enrolled in many art courses in the country and abroad, especially in Turkey, where I painted famous characters. About the work: I work with charcoal and oil painting, as well as video art, photography, installations, and collage. My work addresses psychological and political aspects of memory and the subconscious. This year, I participated in a group exhibition as part of my graduation project course at the Oranim Institute of Arts, where two of my works were sold.

«Strangeness» is a series of drawings based on objects often found in the house courtyard. Some objects contain secrets from the artist’s life, and others symbolize her eternal Resilience against the occupation. The pain of yearning for a past we did not live in but heard about from our grandparents’ stories.

The picture of me holding the stone sheds light on the difficulties we encounter in life. At the same time, the stone symbolizes strength and steadfastness and is a source of nostalgia and anxiety. It is the stone that remained from the life of her ancestors in the house and has remained steadfast to this day and holds many secrets. It is also the stone that has survived the Palestinian issue until today and is present in every home and village.

Strangeness , 2023, Drawings on paper, charcoal and pencils, 189x56 cm

Photography Leena Hawash

Untitled , 2023, charcoal, lead and acrylic on stones

Strangeness , 2023, charcoal and pencils on paper, 112x152 cm

Strangeness , 2023, charcoal and pencils on paper, 112x152 cm

B. 2000, Jerusalem Shenkar college

Three objects that help treat winter illnesses at home according to Palestinian.

Irth Siti is an innovative project dedicated to preserving a fading culture. Within the Palestinian community, there is a concerning decline in exposure to traditional practices, leading individuals to seek answers from other cultures due to the need for documented knowledge. This phenomenon is known as the Hakawati effect, where knowledge is transmitted primarily through oral storytelling.

In my chosen field of alternative medicine, I have undertaken the mission of physically documenting the three most prevalent methods for treating illnesses following Palestinian folk

medicine. I have designed three essential objects to achieve this: a compress, a therapeutic cup, and a liquid dropper. These tools enable individuals to easily administer home remedies on their own. Moreover, they embody the legacies passed down through generations within families.

The choice of ceramics and textiles as materials for crafting these objects is deliberate. Both materials possess a natural quality that withstands the test of time, especially when cared for diligently. Similarly, they symbolize the importance of nurturing and preserving one’s culture. By working with these enduring materials, I emphasize the significance of cherishing and revitalizing cultural practices, ensuring they endure for future generations.

Yasmine Tams

Photography Maya Dabit

My Grandma’s Legacy , 2023, Ceramics and fabrics

field of art specifically. On the other hand, translating the contents into Arabic has become more common in recent years, partially because of the increase in the number of Arab professionals working in art institutions - academic and museums - that ensure the translation is done professionally and well.

The fragile status of the Arabic language has a significant influence on Arab students in an academic institution that its hegemony rejects their mother tongue and does not try to accept it. There are several instances where teachers refuse to review their students’ work because they rely on the Arabic language and are unwilling to accept it because they do not understand it.

Writing in Hebrew is difficult for Arab students in Israeli academies. This difficulty is caused by different aspects, among which is the geographical. For example, Arab students from the central part of Israel and from mixed towns and cities are fluent in Hebrew and are well acquainted with Israeli culture. On the other hand, Arab students from the villages and towns from the North have a mediocre - reasonable Hebrew. In contrast, students from Jerusalem speak English fluently but need to learn Hebrew well and become acquainted with Israeli culture.

Language has a prominent influence on the way we write and think. Thus, writing about personal work in a language, not the artist’s mother tongue might lead to confusion or difficulty in transferring the ideas well. In addition, many students start studying very early when they are not fluent in reading and writing in their mother tongue or in Hebrew and English, the primary teaching languages that Arab schools don’t invest in much. So, the students are suddenly forced to write in an «academic» language in a foreign language, read about it, and search for sources that may only be available in a foreign language. All these complicate the task of writing. Graduation Exhibition Texts in Israeli Academies, 2023

Three language texts are to be found in all the departments of Bezalel Academy of Arts and in both Oranim and Musrara colleges. It is easy to notice the students’ effort to write their texts, the differences in the level of the works and the texts, and the differences in quality between the institutions.

In the art department at Haifa University, there is this weird trend where every work is accompanied by a QR code that sends the viewer to a YouTube video of the student talking about their work. Most of

these videos are too long and tedious, and the bad connection makes it difficult to watch them. When I was at the exhibition, I noticed one of the visitors was angry that there were no texts alongside the works to explain them.

The art department in Shenkar is Arabic-free, a policy that becomes clear to the viewers the minute they enter the building. The texts that accompany the works are written in Hebrew. Some foreign students chose to write in English; in addition, an Arab student wrote her text in English as a statement against the academy policy, perhaps. Still, I would’ve preferred she wrote in Arabic rather than English if that was what she intended. It is similar in Witzo as well. Another phenomenon of expression of protest by Arab students is the choice of some of them to speak English when presenting their work and projects, even though they speak Hebrew fluently, as an expression of their protest against the absence of the Arabic language from the place. They usually receive adverse reactions from lecturers.

Yuad 5

It is an honour that the Yaud Exhibition, which is being held for the fifth time this year, has become an annual tradition. In addition to the exhibition that displays a selected collection of graduation projects, Al-Markaz Gallery has launched the Graduates Index, an interactive and constantly updated archive that documents all the Arab graduates of art academies and departments in the country and their works.

As per the current exhibition theme, «How do we write about art?», I have decided to include the texts written by the graduates in the exhibition catalogue as they are, without any editing or modification, unlike the previous years. This decision aims to reflect and clarify my statement above and provide an opportunity for those not well-versed in writing to express themselves.

I wish all the new art graduates the best of luck as they embark on their creative journey and overcome the challenges of the beginning, especially those directly related to the Palestinian scenes.

Hanna Qubty Jerusalem, 2023

should be noted that a good artwork can stand on its own without the need for text.

Academisation of the Art

In the past, aspiring artists used to learn artistic skills by working in the workshops of painters and sculptors. This was the traditional way of acquiring the creative heritage crafts. However, this changed with the establishment of art academies. Art became an academic subject or science, and the academy was under royal guardianship, which determined the artistic style. Additionally, the teaching method was subject to the state’s authority, and annual exhibitions were held in large halls known as «salons» under the auspices of the state. Artists who failed to comply with the academy’s requirements were excluded and their works were not displayed in these exhibitions. The current reality is quite similar to this situation, where an academic or a graduation certificate from a recognized school in the field is one of the requirements for an artist to be recognized and accepted in the art scene.

Nowadays, we can find three types of art studies:

Theory and history of art based on academic research and analysis of works of art.

Practical and technical studies while experimenting with materials, techniques, theories, and art history. Studies that combine theory and practice.

Graduates of institutions that rely on theoretical teaching usually use academic references that include coherent analyses in their writings since their background in the field is only theoretical, without practical experience or practice. Thus, their interpretation of the work is often only descriptive.

Studies in educational institutions that focus on the practical aspect involve learning new techniques, working with materials, and exposure to new media. The textual output of students in these tracks is poor, as students do not practice writing or receive extensive instruction. This also appears in the third type of academies, where the students, even when exposed to theoretical subjects, usually focus on the practical and neglect writing. Art studies usually extend over a period of three to four years. In the first year, art schools focus on the practical aspect in addition to

brief introductory courses in art history and theories. With the institutionalization of contemporary art, many academies began offering their students writing courses in the last academic year to help them write a CV and artist statement and professionally build a portfolio to prepare them for the professional future and help them quickly integrate into this field by applying for invitations to participate, invitations to residencies, And so on, but this rarely produces a result of outstanding quality. Only that the academies provide the students with this kind of courses in the final year of study when students are busy preparing for their graduation projects, which needs to give them more time and mental dedication to write professionally.

All art students face the challenges above, but they are even more difficult for Arab and Palestinian students at Israeli academic institutions. The mother tongue is an essential cultural and ethnic aspect hugely feared in the contemporary Israeli sphere. This fear can be seen in different cases of vandalism, such in the case of corrupting the works of Hamoudi Ghannam that were displayed in the exhibition Open Sky (curated by Avi Lubin) in Tel Aviv because they contained captions in Arabic; or the controversy that rose from the billboards advertising the serial Fauda, that had the serial’s name in Arabic only and caused panic among the Israeli public that some of its members even demanded the billboards be taken down, this is in addition to silencing the Arabic language of the Jewish immigrants from Arab countries for it being «Language of the Enemy.» The peak of this panic and repulsion of the Arabic language is seen in the «Nationality Law» that denounced the Arabic language from being an official language to a language «with a special status»; but even when it was an official language, Arabic has never received the attention and respect an official language is ought to receive in the public sphere, be it visually or proficiency wise.

The absence of the Arabic language from the public Israeli sphere, and more specifically from Israeli art schools, is very evident and noticeable. If we touch on the cultural and artistic field, and despite the good intentions of the people involved and the attempts to increase the presence and visibility of the Arabic language, this is usually done unprofessionally using Google Translate or through the help of a random colleague or friend that knows Arabic with no experience or qualifications in translation and no knowledge of the

worldwide. These paintings were so iconic and unmistakable that they did not require an accompanying interpretive text, allowing each viewer to understand the meaning of the painting according to the stories and interpretations he heard from the priest during prayer. The same applies to artistic styles such as realism, which do not need interpretive text.

In the 18th century, with museums and «salons» opening, written text began to appear alongside works of art. The texts at that time focused mainly on the general and rather technical description of the work and provided information about the artist. As the number of art exhibitions increased, critical writing about works or artists became more common. This pushed artists and exhibition curators to accompany the works with a text that explained the work and placed it within a specific context. This has made the text accompanying the work, or the exhibition as a whole, a vital and essential element of the profession of art. For artists, the text has become a «cover letter» that makes them more approachable to the viewer. For viewers, the text is necessary to better understand the work, especially in conceptual and contemporary works.

Four types of artistic texts can be found today:

A text explaining the work, usually written by the artists themselves or someone on their behalf.

A text written by the curator about the exhibition.

An art review written by an art critic or researcher.

The text as a work of art or a statement of intent.

This statement will address the second type, texts written by artists and curators from the field of visual arts, and the challenges of writing such a text, specifically for Arab students in Israeli art academies.

Artistic writing has no specific set of rules, which can be intimidating for artists who fear writing a descriptive text or one that may limit the interpretation of their work. As a result, most artistic works are titled «untitled.» However, texts that are too abstract can create a distance between the viewer and the work. In the contemporary phase of the arts, it is crucial to have basic knowledge of the field in order to analyze a work, especially if it has historical or philosophical aspects that use technical, field-specific terms. This can complicate the relationship between the work and the accompanying text.

Hence, the question is: Who is the target audience of the texts accompanying the work, and must they understand it? To answer this question, we must ask how we understand and interpret a work of art. Pierre Bourdieu says, «To understand a work of art, we must look not only at the work of art itself but rather at the conditions of its production and reception.» For example, a Palestinian viewer observing Kamal Boullata’s work Revolution (1978) will interpret it and associate it to its symbols in a different, more intuitive way than a Canadian viewer who barely knows the language, and the cultural and geopolitical backdrop and characteristics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A foreign viewer’s understanding of the work will be limited to the aesthetic and visual elements such as composition, size, and colors. A text is thus necessary to provide basic information that will put the work in its correct context.

Contemporary art is known for challenging traditional norms and conventions in various ways, mainly in how it communicates with viewers. One way for artists to achieve this is by combining their artwork with a text that will help provide context and commentaryto the viewer. Contemporary art often deals with complex and abstract ideas that may be difficult to grasp, and a text can help clarify these ideas and guide viewers to a deeper understanding of the work.

Contemporary art frequently blends various media, including interactive elements that offer instructions, explanations, or historical and cultural context, aiming to increase the viewer’s engagement with the artwork. Contemporary art often incorporates references to historic events, cultural symbols, or particular contexts, which may require explanation in a text to help the viewer comprehend their significance. Contemporary art often provokes reflection and discourse, which the text can facilitate by encouraging viewers to consider the artwork and its meanings. However, the text can also exposethe artist’s style, techniques, and themes.

Contemporary art often uses text to enrich the viewing experience, provide context, and make the artwork more accessible to the audience. Text can help artists communicate their ideas and encourage meaningful discussions about their work. The target audience for the text accompanying an artwork is directed towards all viewers, from the art fields or outsiders to it. Therefore, the text is critical in helping the audience understand the artwork. Still, it

Curator Hanna Qubty

Curator Assistant Ahed Hammad

Graphic design and Production Nawal Arafat

Translation and Editing Janan Bsoul

Technical support Alaa Badran

Yuad 5 Curator’s Statement

02-6267333 Al.markazartgallery@gmail.com

I generally read the text that accompanies an artwork only if I find the work interesting. When I do read the text, it usually evokes one of three feelings in me: regret, if the text is dull and uninteresting; indifference if the text is purely descriptive and lacks analysis; or great interest if the text is deep, analytical, and emphasizing the conceptual basis of the work.

The theme of this year’s «Yuad» exhibition is «How do we write about art?», and its main focus is on texts that Arab students at Israeli art academies write about their own works.

Writing about art is a controversial issue that concerns artists, curators, critics, as well as art students, and it is even more challenging for Arab students who practice art in a language that is not their mother tongue, and must write about their ideas and works in another language, usually Hebrew or English.

How to start? Writing about art can be a daunting task. Every artist, curator, art critic, and art student struggles with the question of where to start. Writing, in general, requires special skills, practice, and development of a professional vocabulary. However, writing about visual and plastic art is even more complex. A work of art is a creative product that requires extensive thought, inspiration, and experimentation in order to achieve the desired result. The creative process becomes even more complicated when trying to describe the product in words. The tension between the visual and the verbal further increases, as conveying feelings, colors, and shapes through text can be challenging, as one have to walk a fine line to avoid overstepping the work of art itself. Finding the balance between the visual and the verbal is a form of art in and of itself.

The combination of text and image has a long history, dating back to cavemen who used sounds and speech to communicate and later used images and carvings that at times served as texts. The written word, in its current form, appeared long afterward. One of the most well-known examples of the use of visual composition as a means of narration is the Catholic Church’s use of visual art and images to spread Christianity among the illiterate. The stories of the Bible, such as the birth and crucifixion of Christ and the Last Supper, are depicted in numerous paintings that still resonate to this day and have become a mainstay of art and a source of visual inspiration

Contemporary art Gallery

Al-Markaz, gallery for contemporary art (non-profit organization) is an interactive and dynamic platform for the arts that facilitates the connection of Jerusalemite artists with their audiences and their exposure to the art world. The gallery seeks to create a dialogue around art and promote art criticism in the local culture. We, at Al-Markaz, believe that it is our duty to develop young artists in their first steps and exhibitions in the world of art and at local galleries, and help them overcome the complexities of the contemporary Palestinian art scene.

Yuad Group exhibition of selected works by graduates of art and design faculties