WEST BANK: Palestinian artist creates 'imaginary costumes' for exhibition on nature of statehood

Record ID: 565183

  • Title: WEST BANK: Palestinian artist creates 'imaginary costumes' for exhibition on nature of statehood
  • Date: 25th March 2014
  • Summary: BIRZEIT, NEAR RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (RECENT - MARCH 20, 2014) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF BIRZEIT UNIVERSITY MUSEUM WHERE EXHIBITION IS BEING HELD EXHIBITION SIGN, READING: (ENGLISH AND ARABIC): "The Ceremonial Uniform" PEOPLE ENTERING MUSEUM PEOPLE ENTERING MUSEUM ROOM GARMENT HUNG FROM CEILING VARIOUS OF UNIFORM ON MANNEQUIN PALESTINIAN ARTIST, OMARIUS IOSEPH FILIUS DINAE, INTRODUCING HIS EXHIBITION TO GUESTS GUESTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN ARTIST, OMARIUS IOSEPH FILIUS DINAE, SAYING: "This is done on purpose because I would like to create some talk and a bit of debate regarding what we consider genuine and real or made up, just like the state, which is artificial in theory and in reality its borders we are living under occupation and we cannot argue against its non-existence. So how can we start talking about a government and symbols and figures and stamps? All these understandings are in fact dictatorial and hierarchical and reproduce the same problems which the occupation cements." PEOPLE LOOKING AT GARMENTS VARIOUS OF UNIFORMS HANGING FROM CEILING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN ARTIST, OMARIUS IOSEPH FILIUS DINAE, SAYING: "This costume can become a real costume. It could be made, but at the same time it's not real so people can believe something that is not real and remains unreal even if they believe it just like our political discourse in Palestine." PEOPLE LOOKING AT PHOTOGRAPHS OF ARTIST'S VERSIONS OF "OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS" ON WALL PHOTOGRAPHS PHOTOGRAPHS OF HISTORIC COSTUMES ON WALL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ANOTHER PALESTINIAN ARTIST, KHALED HOURANI, SAYING: "It is as if he is making a mockery of all these symbols which make up a part of a nation's life anywhere in the world. It is reconstructing the symbols and the customs and the figures and I think you need time to absorb it it with a critical eye." VARIOUS OF GARMENTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EXHIBITION VISITOR, ADILA HANEYAH, SAYING: "Some people might accept it as art, the colours, the paintings as an art work and it is also possible since we are in Palestine for people to look for the political meaning. So there are different levels of perception." PEOPLE LOOKING AT DIAGRAMS CLOSE OF DIAGRAMS GIRLS LOOKING VARIOUS OF DIAGRAMS
  • Embargoed: 9th April 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Reuters ID: LVA1JVP94DP73DEWX0PBE31TUBWK
  • Story Text: An exhibition depicting an artist's impression of ceremonial uniforms for officials in a would-be Palestinian state opened in the West Bank on Thursday (March 20).
    The pieces are the work of a local-born artist who goes by the imaginary Latin name of Omarius Ioseph Filius Dinae (Omar Joseph, son of Dina).
    He said that the collection, entitled 'The Ceremonial Uniform', was inspired by the failed Palestinian bid for full statehood at the United Nations in 2011.
    Although he drew on some traditional Palestinian techniques when designing the costumes, there are clear reference to other cultures in the designs.
    The artist, who studied at the London College of Fashion, worked with shoemakers from Ramallah, mother-of-pearl carvers from Beit-Sahour and embroiderers from Yatta and Beirut to create the pieces.
    Apart from the costumes, the exhibition includes symbols and diagrams and a series of photographs mimicking official portraits created with Lebanese photographer Tarek Moukaddem.
    The confusing nature of the outfits was deliberate, said Omarious Ioseph. He said he wanted to design imaginary costumes for what he termed an "imaginary" state.

    "I would like to create some talk and a bit of debate regarding what we consider genuine and real or made up just like the state which is artificial in theory and in reality, in its borders we are living under occupation," he said.

    "We cannot argue against its non-existence so how can we start talking about a government and symbols and figures and stamps all these understandings are in fact dictatorial and hierarchical and reproduce the same problems which the occupation cements."

    "This costume can become a real costume, it could be made but at the same time it's not real so people can believe something that is not real and remains unreal even if they believe it just like our political discourse in Palestine," he added.
    Khaled Hourani, a well known Palestinian artist who attended the opening night, said he felt there was an element of ridicule in the work.

    "It is as if he is making a mockery of all these symbols which make up a part of a nation's life anywhere in the world. It is reconstructing the symbols and the customs and the figures and I think you need time to absorb it it with a critical eye," said Hourani.
    Independent from the apparent political intentions of the artist, one gallery visitor said she thought that people viewing the exhibition would each have their own response to the pieces.

    "Some people might accept it as art, the colours, the paintings as an art work and it is also possible since we are in Palestine for people to look for the political meaning. So there are different levels of perception," said Adila Haneyah.
    A musical response to the collection was performed at the opening night.
    The exhibition runs untill June 20.
    jrs/jrc
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