Elsewhere
Archival Inject print mounted on matte diasec, 50 cm x 50 cm (20 in x 20 in), 2020
In Elsewhere, Sabella embarks on a journey to a land that once was—a place that lives on in our imagination. This work is an extension of the artist’s ongoing exploration of images and their hidden realities stating that the “archaeology of the future is the archaeology of the image and its genealogy”—each image carrying untold stories.
The print is composed of a collage of black-and-white photochromes from 19th century historic Palestine, alongside a few images from Syria and Lebanon. Mechanically colorized in the past to appear more lifelike, the prints are reassembled to recreate the feeling of the land, as if one has been transported to a moment in Palestine’s past. The work is an act of reclamation—of reconstructing, honoring, and ultimately preserving the spirit of Palestine.
Responding to Maroun’s title, Still Life, from the lost exhibition, Sabella explores a paradox— a suggestion of stillness, a moment suspended in time, in an everchanging setting that is in constant flux, yet never finds peace and justice: Palestine. A cactus stands in the foreground with Lebanon’s iconic cedar trees in the background. The landscape of the Levant, whether Palestinian or Lebanese, shares a common spirit—a bond that transcends borders. Much like Maroun Tomb’s own Palestinian-Lebanese heritage, this artwork embodies a deep connection to the land and the enduring spirit of its people.
Steve Sabella is an established artist and author possessing a distinct style that has earned him numerous awards and accolades. Born in Jerusalem, Palestine, and based in Berlin since 2010, Sabella’s bold work is recognizable for its themes of identity and displacement, exile, the effects of colonization, liberation, and the human condition in a powerful way while celebrating the resilience of the human spirit. Sabella is also the author of the award-winning memoir The Parachute Paradox (2016), which tackles the colonization of the imagination and The Artist’s Curse: On Being an Artist: Navigating the Art Market and the Art World (2023).