Be advised this review contains imagery which could be upsetting.
The Palestine Museum Scotland is showcasing a special exhibition, Gaza, by the great British photographer Peter Kennard. Gaza is a series of prints made using a variety of media, including collage, photomontage, double-exposed photographs, drawing and paint. Some are from images of Palestine, while others were constructed by Kennard himself, all using manual techniques rather than making use off the possibilities offered by computers.
Starting in the 1970s during the Vietnam War, Kennard produced world-famous artworks that became the voice of resistance. Well-known for his impactful photomontages criticising war, inequality and injustice, he has been making work about Palestine for the past two years.
As Kennard puts it, in an era of ‘silent censorship’, his work seeks to challenge the mainstream narrative about the war. He is inviting viewers to think about the reasons for the war, and about its patrons. In doing it, he avoids the potential complexities in his art, making work that is simple yet powerful. Rather than presenting Palestine as a passive victim, his work becomes the voice of resilience. He deliberately avoids recreating the violence, by avoiding sharing graphic photographs, instead encouraging critical thinking, prompting us to question the mechanisms backed by the world superpowers that help the war to continue.
One of the most notable and precious characteristics of his work is his ability to see the conflict through the eyes of the people who face it, telling it from a western perspective, instead pursuing the truth where it belongs…
One of his works, Mother and Child – the woman carrying her child under missiles in extreme distress – he achieved to make the viewer feel that fear, holding on to strength.
Another artwork, and a viewer favourite, is Overhead: a rubbed-out photo of a child resembling clouds in the sky, with a plane over its mouth. It perfectly guides the viewer to get to understand how people feel when killer jets are flying overhead.
Gaza, a photograph of stones on which Kennard wrote the word ‘Gaza’ by scratching by hand and collaging a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf.
He has included in the exhibition part of one of his iconic works, Thatcher Cuts, from 1984. He created a new piece using the same baby, but this time the cutting hand belongs to the Israeli Defence Forces.
His work is known for its ability to connect with audiences and be understood regardless of their background. Instead of being theoretical and challenging, Kennard has aimed to make his art as simple as possible, so it could be understood by people whether or not they had knowledge of art or politics.
In the exhibition texts, Kennard states, ‘As an artist, I feel impelled to try and make images that will allow the general public to think about the massacre taking place.’
He also notes, ‘Showing my work at the new Palestine Museum is a great honour. For all of us now is the time to act to save Palestine, time is running out for thousands upon thousands in Gaza. All forms of creativity that express dissent from the terrible events happening every day in real time adds to the pressure to end support for this bloody massacre.’
With thanks to Omur Sahin Keyif for this review, and to Faisal Saleh for his assistance. Peter’s work can also be seen in London at The Whitechapel Gallery until 19th Jan, and his anthology, Visual Dissent is published by Pluto Press.
