PALESTINE: TRACING BOUNDARIES
Bending Toward the Sun - Yazan Abu Salameh
Yazan Abu Salameh
Yazan Abu Salameh explores the production and consumption of cement in the Palestinian case under occupation. In his works, he protests and rejects what has become of the Palestinian towns as a result of occupation; the loss of public and green spaces.
The melancholy of the urban environment and the overwhelming presence of concrete as a byproduct of military occupation overshadows his artworks. He works with ink and collage creating an effect of sections from the separation wall and other military structures. He presents boxes packed with congested buildings with little white windows as a representation of the densely built-up environment in Palestinian towns, which are restricted from natural expansion. Those boxes are left partly open as if the towns desire to escape confinement. The cardboard texture and colors, build a striking connection between the sun in the sky and these boxes as well as the separation wall as if a conversation between these elements is taking place. Abu Salameh uses a variety of mediums and presents circles that act as a magnifying glass, or perhaps an indication of an unstoppable process of urbanization.
Yazan Abu Salameh was born in 1993 in Jerusalem. He studied Fine Arts at Dar Al-Kalima University in Bethlehem in 2011. He participated in several workshops including scenography at Al-Quds College in Beit Jala. He taught art at several community centers including at Aidya Refugee Camp in Bethlehem.
Abu Salameh has participated in several group exhibitions in Palestine, Jordan, and the UAE. He won the third prize in the competition “Let’s Make it Glow” which allowed him to exhibit in Italy in a group exhibition held by Turin Municipality in 2019. He participated in Ramallah Art Fair (2023 & 2022 & 2021) and Art Dubai (2023 & 2021) with Zawyeh Gallery. His first solo exhibition titled Cemented Sky debuted on the gallery’s premises at Alserkal Avenue in Dubai. He currently lives and works in Bethlehem.