CS
VISUALS
Filling the Archival Gaps Local artist researches Palestinian history to create a new archive, all while learning about her roots By Lydia Freudenberg
FOR LOCAL ARTIST Dareen Hussein, understanding and displaying an accurate depic-
tion of Palestinian history is personal. Her family reigns from Palestine, but Hussein was born in Doha, Qatar. As an infant, her family decided to move to the U.S., eventually settling in Columbus. “It really is kind of a traditional immigrant’s tale of coming to America,” says Hussein. “We wanted to be somewhere with more opportunities and, this sounds funny now in the midst of our administration, but a place where we have more rights.” By the time Hussein was in high school, she was interested in uncovering truths and discovered that photography was a successful artistic medium to address and discuss difficult conversations. “(I want) to try to address some of the issues I’ve seen – as a woman and as a woman of color – in the world,” she says. “Photography is usually used as a documentary device and I think that’s what’s interesting to me, particularly in the context of what of I’m doing now.” When college rolled around, pursuing photography was inevitable. She chose the California Institute of the Arts because its photography program focuses more on the impact of the medium. After graduating, Hussein moved back to Columbus and has since been immersed in a self-directed project of archiving the Palestine diaspora. “I’m interested in challenging this preconceived notion of the archive… what is being included and what is being excluded?” says Hussein. “With my personal experience, I’ve been Informational plaques accompanied disappointed in how Palestinians and each artifact. the history of Palestine have been ar-
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cityscenecolumbus.com | December 2018
Hussein’s display included items like this handwoven basket.
chived. … It’s usually always within this context of the holy land or it’s speaking to the biblical narratives. … I feel that there is a failure to archive Palestinians as just people, as agents of our own narrative. In my artistic project, I like to look through the archive to see what gaps there are so I can try to fill the gaps.” Understanding the Project Back in summer 2018, Hussein’s project was on display at the Columbus Museum of Art. The collection featured Palestinian items like old stamps, photographs and maps, along with objects like a handwoven basket, and a stereoscope with stereoviews – a late 19th century binocular-shaped device that creates 3-D-like images. The pieces were displayed in traditional museum orientations with informational plaques.