The Artist:
Larissa Sansour was born in Jerusalem in 1973, to a Russian mother
and a Palestinian father. She lived in Beit Jala for 15 years before
the events of the first Intifada forced her to continue her studies
in London, England. She attended two art colleges in London and went
on to complete her BFA in the Maryland Institute College of Art in
America. In the year 2000, she received an MA in Art from New York
University. Larissa has also attended various other universities in
England, America and Denmark where she has also participated in various
exhibitions.
This is a short quotation of what the artist has to say about her
art:
His work:
“The events of the last 2 years have greatly influenced my
art. The work that I do now is mostly informed by the Palestinian
situation. In my work, I try to set the viewer off balance, breaking
stereotypes of ethnicity as well as clichés in the frame
work of art display. My latest work is a video art piece depicting
ISM (The International Solidarity Movement) in action. It is a loop
ending with the Israeli tank pointing at the heads of the peace
activists. The additional music that I inserted adds to the tension
of the sequence. However, the footage is left as it is reflecting
reality in daily life Palestine. The change of context for footage
that we normally associate with television is the challenge that
I wanted to bring forth. Somehow the change of venue makes the footage
more powerful. (pic. 1) Another project is constituted of 11 digital
photographs printed on canvases of about 2m x 2m on average. With
these pictures I try to paint Palestine in a different light. All
the pictures seen together create a fairytale like atmosphere. The
idea is to leave the unsuspecting viewer with an uncomfortable feeling.
I took pictures of Palestinians and superimposed them on Palestinian
landscapes. The photos are intended to project beauty yet have a
disconcerting feeling at the same time. Among these pictures, there
are also abstract prints made out of Palestinian patterns. The ethnicity
of the landscapes as well as the Palestinian fabric clash with the
digitally manipulated images. It is this juxtaposition that I want
to emphasize. The new medium lends a new voice to what we otherwise
associate with folklore art or daily surroundings. (Pic. 2”)
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