Arabic literature

I found some interesting courses on Al-Quds University on Arabic literature that I want to join. I just have to decide what I want the most; Jahiliya poetry, Palestinian literature, children's literature, Abbasid or Ummayid or Andalusi poetry, or one of the 30 other courses from their BA programme. Next question is if I can follow the classes in Arabic, I'm not sure I can understand so much. But I want to taste different parts and genres of Arabic literature, and I need a teacher to tell me what is good and what is meant. And I would also like to have classmates.

I also came to think of those nonsense poems/stories, I wanted to make. Then I have something to draw! So time to hook up with Hans Wehr and see what I can find. It's not going to be as eloquent as the poem below, but I like playing with words.

Museum on the Seam

Located in a former checkpoint house between the Israeli and Jordanese parts of divided Jerusalem, scared from gunfires from several assult, this museum now raises questions about socio-political reality and the various civil rights. It's not big, we went through it in a couple of ours, and some of the "art" is only art because it's in a museum. But it also had some nice pieces, that made me think. First of all that I still don't know the local history well enough. And I didn't know the razor-wire was invented in South Africa (an artist from SA had bended razor-wire into frames).


I liked the very expressive and composed photographies by Claudia Rogge - e.g. one with people in black robes, had they been white were it Ku Klux Klan, one holding a big silver cross supported on the ground - and the "invisible Man" photo bu Liu Bolin, apparently he's made many more, very impressive photographs. (Here's an article about him with many pictures.)


The best Israeli piece was a short movie by Doron Solomons (and normally I don't like movies in museums, I think they are too wierd), called "Blood brothers" in Hebrew and "Brothers in arms" in English. A repeating scene called "Brotherly love" was the artist as a siametic twin, doing worse and worse things to his other half - I interpreted it as Israelis and Palestinians who fight over this piece of land - ending with something like "maybe I can't control my own body, but he's not going to control it!" and the own siametic twin shooting the other in the head. And maybe dying also, because they share the same body, the same vital organs?

Ahuva Elany

I've been wandering again - this time I dipped into an "Ethnic Art shop" (also on Jaffa Road), where I fell in love with some metal reliefs by artist Ahuva Elany. From her webpage:

"Graduate of the Bezalel Art Academy's Welding Department (1998) and the Reshet Amal School of Jewelry Manufacturing (2001).

The items are made from thick sheets of copper. The copper is cut by means of a very thin saw that allows for precise and delicate slicing of the sheets. The colors are the natural shades of copper, varying in degree due to special heating and cooling techniques."

Also these pieces of art are probably out of reach for my budget, but I can still enjoy them on exhibition! This one was in the shop - and much more impressive than the picture shows, with all the colours playing on the surface of the metal:

Mobile Seven Species:
These grains and fruits were specially promised to the israelites in the
event of their allagiance to the covenant of god. (from the webpage.)

Detail of same motif as in the above.

Ben Avram

I've been wandering about in Jerusalem to get lost and find my way back, to get to know the city - and on Jaffa Road I stopped at a framing gallery, where I fell in love with some pictures by this artist. His name is Ben Avram, and according to wikipedia (which is more detailed than his own homepage):

"Edward Ben Avram (born 1941) is an artist who was born in Bombay, India and immigrated to Israel as a teenager. He graduated from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in 1965 and continues to make his home in Jerusalem.

Most of Ben Avram’s oil paintings and watercolors portray Israeli cities, religious festivals, and Bible stories. He paints in creamy sensual tones incorporating symbols such as doves, a menorah, and Shabbat candles."

I love the bright colours he uses, and I spend some time studying his techniques (not brush but spatula). As A later pointed out, his colours reminds of Esben Hanefeldts (e.g. this). The dealer asked how many I wanted, and already started to descibe how he would roll the painting so I could bring them home to Denmark - but we still have some time here, and still need to find the money for it. =)

Just another picture to show his style.

Bethlehem

Wonderful finally to be there, though only for a short while this first time. But I will be back. =)

Our friends took us to one of the "attractions"; the Wall surrounding the town. I can only tell as so many before me have told: it's high, it's ugly, it's cutting off people from their land. But on this sad example of human untrust and disbelief, I was happy to see human will to change and survival in all the creative paintings and writings on the wall. A restaurent has even put up their menu in big types, and occationally shows movies on it.

Some of the wall decorations - I'll post more as I see them!