Cactus Borders
The cactus is a symbol that is used time and time again in Palestinian art.
The plant grows in the most severe settings. The soil is barren as water is scarce but despite this the plant grows and flourishes. Its prickly exterior is in contrast to the flower and the sweet fruit it bears. Artists in Gaza return to it in their paintings, photos and installations as a representation of themselves and Palestinians. Strong fortitude and resolve in the face of political challenges that bombard their daily lives in shape of a stranglehold.
The metaphors underlying this exhibition by Mohammad Al-Hawajri are related to life under the siege. The series reflects the burdens under the confines of the borders. He and the million and half people’s lives are encased in the strip. The inability to live and leave freely to return to work or to travel combined with mere trickle of essential supplies has put a huge emotional and financial burden on the people of Gaza. The bare necessities enter the strip leaving people scrambling for proper medication or just supplies needed on a daily basis.
Mohammad has given new meaning to the symbolism associated with the cactus. He has taken it to another level. These works are not merely of the plant or its fruit and flowers. The added dimension represents the devastation of the stranglehold on his home. The cactus is now cloaked or a part of another. It does not stand alone in its environment. The plant is manipulated as is his Gaza. The focus of his work relies heavily on the outside influence and the thorns of the cactus are painful. The associations within these works are dark, even though sometimes comical. All the art represents life under the siege and how its closing in on the lives of the people of Gaza. Take the flip flops for example; One can walk with them, but how far will the thorns poke through one’s feet before one has to stop? You can’t go too far with those shoes. The thorns are Erez and other checkpoints. How far can one move in the confines of Gaza?
The beauty being born from the plant is no more. Grenades; instruments of death, replace the sweetness. The blossoms that remind us of beauty and rebirth are replaced by icons of destruction. Even food; a basic right does not nourish. Take the McDogazawi, just like Western Fast food chain McDonald’s. The food looks good but is truly destructive to your health. One cannot even take a bite out of these burgers. If one cannot work one cannot eat. There are no pears of the cactus only the thorns. His analysis of life in Gaza through this series of works is s a question of the validity of the fences that surround his homeland spiritually and physically.
Asia Javan
