With Israeli genocide ongoing in Gaza and more attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Latin American artists feel that they have a duty to express their feelings and share support with the people in occupied Palestine. Thirteen artists from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Brazil have thus exhibited their work on the theme of “Paintings and sketches for Palestine” on 13 July at the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Buenos Aires. The exhibition was held in honour of the Palestinian martyrs in Gaza and the West Bank.
The exhibitors were Julius Cesar Ibarra Warnes, Silvana Cerrato, Julia Fawaz, Melisa Christmas, Alejandro Facuse, Richard Ejler, Yael Gomez Moreno, Leonardo Casagerone, Christian Dalla, Brian Carlson, Sergio Pisani, Marta Hasbun and Gustavo Calvet. They were brought together by Argentinian artist Melisa Di Natale to express their solidarity with the Palestinians and raise awareness about Israel’s crimes.
The exhibition was born out of the desire to shed light on the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza.
It also serves as a reminder that Israel has oppressed the Palestinian people for almost eight decades.
According to Palestinian Embassy official Sheryn Barham, art is one of the most sublime ways to confront pain and denounce the most appalling circumstances that human beings can face. “The exhibition has captured through vivd artwork a reality that can no longer simply be described in words,” explained Barham. “It is important to raise one’s voice from different spaces. It was an emotional meeting to raise awareness and mobilisation in the face of genocide.”
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The selected images, she added, highlight the struggle of Palestinians, their history and their resistance, as well as the violence that the Israeli occupation army has meted out for decades.
“The message to the people of Argentina and South America is very clear: Palestinians cannot and will not be silent about what is happening in Gaza and the occupied land,” said Barham. This exhibition is our way of rejecting the occupation and seizure of Palestinian land by Israel. We raise awareness about what is happening in Palestine on a daily basis, and seek to present a broader, more representative image of our land and people.”
According to local artist-activist Gustavo Calvet, “Artwork remains intact and at a certain point, but the image is travelling the world. Getting the message spread is the goal, so that different people become aware of the relevant issue. The technique does not matter, the objective is to disseminate information and raise awareness.”
Calvet is a social communicator, artist and socialist activist who focuses on painting murals in cities across Argentina. From a young age, he has been expressing himself through his drawings and paintings, and he is a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause. He has channelled his passion for art into solidarity with Palestine in the Workers’ Socialist Movement (MST) involved in street art and murals.
With a footprint across Argentina, the MST expresses its solidarity with the Palestinians in their struggle against Israeli occupation.
According to the artist-activist, the only way to stop the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people is to do things every day and in every place. “Here in my city, we promote Palestine solidarity campaigns. This exhibition arose out of a colleague’s proposal to make the genocide in Gaza more visible to everyone passing by.” One aim of his activism, he told me, is to persuade the Argentine government to sever relations with Israel.
More and more people, explained the artist-activist, understand that this is not a “war” in Gaza, as mainstream media try to propagate. “It is a duty of all those who love freedom and defend the right of self-determination, to support the Palestinian people. Our message will travel around the world, joining the demands and demonstrations carried out by artists, workers, professors and university students in different parts of the world, in addition to being able to reach those who are going through this genocide and let them know that they are not alone.”
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