Over My Dead Body
Mixed media, 50 cm x 50 cm (20 in x 20 in), 2023
In both works by Fawakhry the donkey appears as a symbol of steadfastness and stubbornness in its unwillingness to give up the land. Donkeys are also an inseparable part of the scenery in Arab villages. In Over My Dead Body, the pre-1948 map of Palestine is the foundation with a donkey integrated into its shape, showing all the Palestinian villages and cities that made the geography in its entirety. Golden leaves evoking nature and the land are nailed to the map in a pattern that is inspired by the kuffiyeh, leaving marks that could be interpreted as shooting targets. The donkey in this instance stands as a metaphor in the same way that Tomb’s Olive Tree represents resilience, connection to the land and Palestinian culture.
Inside the House
Digital print and etched window pane, 50 cm x 50 cm (20 in x 20 in), 2022
The work Inside the House depicts a densely populated hilltop in an Arab village with the donkey appearing in between the houses that seem to be besieged and confined to a small area. The image is layered with an intricate pane of traditional glass, almost creating an opaque prison with its pattern. In dialogue with Tomb’s title, Landscape, what appears to be a picturesque town is actually chaotic and bursting at the seams due to the systemic racist policies directed at Arab citizens in attempts to minimize their living spaces.
Ashraf Fawakhry was born and raised in Al Mazra’a village in Akka district. He received his BA at the WIZO Academic Centre for Design and Education in Haifa and then worked as a design teacher at the Bezalel Academy for Art and Design in Jerusalem. Fawakhry’s practice utilizes a wide range of mediums, materials and techniques that range from video work to installations to drawings– often using graphics as a tool to represent conceptual art. With Pop Art as an influence, he has produced subversive artworks that critique the political and social restrictions on Palestinians post 1948. He often uses the donkey as an iconic metaphor to question the Palestinian sense of self and the cultural struggle that accompanies it.