[As (graffiti) art can criticize and shake things up, it is an
important tool to educate people about Palestine and the occupation.]
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IF GRAFFITI CHANGED ANYTHING, IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL  
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Ursula Mindermann
October 19, 2023
This Week in Palestine
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_ As (graffiti) art can criticize and shake things up, it is an
important tool to educate people about Palestine and the occupation. _


, Photographs courtesy of the author: Ursula Mindermann

 

The British graffiti artist Banksy makes this claim, as he has been
spraying graffiti on walls in the West Bank and Gaza since 2005. In
2007, he founded Santa’s Ghetto and brought numerous international
artists to Bethlehem, the city known as the birthplace of Jesus
Christ. Ever since, the Separation Wall near the checkpoint that leads
to Jerusalem has become a hotspot for the graffiti scene. This
“Graffiti Mile” is now the second most visited tourist attraction.
This wall, as it represents violence and occupation, has become a work
of art.

Graffiti art in Bethlehem is both politically and culturally
important: many works of art are inspired by Palestinian culture and
history and, despite their short-lived nature, contribute to
preserving the city’s cultural heritage.

AS (GRAFFITI) ART CAN CRITICIZE AND SHAKE THINGS UP, IT IS AN
IMPORTANT TOOL TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT PALESTINE AND THE OCCUPATION.

Starting in 2005, international artists such as Lushsux, Jorit Agoch,
Blu, Sam3, Ron English, Swoon, Faile, Schoon-Tanis, Eric Calcaine, and
How&Nosm have sprayed the infamous wall with their works of art, some
of which have survived to this day. Moreover, the wall offers local
artists such as Taqi Spateen and Cakes Stencils the opportunity to
present their art to an international audience. These artists reflect
the brutality of the occupation in their art: Cakes Stencils uses the
stencil technique and, above all, depicts the situation and reality of
life of Palestinian children. Barbed wire recurs as a constant motif
in the pictures. An example is the graffiti “I was born at Qalandia
checkpoint.” It highlights the experience of Palestinian mothers,
some of whom were forced to give birth to their children at the
checkpoint near Ramallah when they could not reach the maternity
clinic in time due to arbitrary restrictions and excessive controls.

Taqi Spateen compares the Palestinians to Alice in Wonderland, both of
whom lost their greatness (figuratively: dignity) in order to achieve
freedom. Images of various Palestinian personalities – such as the
nurse Razan al-Najjar, who was murdered by Israeli snipers while
tending to the wounded at the Great March of Return protests in Gaza,
and the journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was murdered while on duty
in Jenin – are artistically depicted on the Separation Wall.

Today, the wall has become a work of art: tourists from all over the
world come to the Graffiti Mile and can find out about the
graffiti’s background. These images reveal glimpses into everyday
life and show the brutal reality of the occupied country. It caused
quite a stir when Banksy’s artwork _Love in a Bin_ was shredded
immediately after its auction at London’s Sotheby’s auction house,
and the incident was reported in media worldwide. Banksy was certainly
the door opener for Bethlehem’s graffiti art that is now reaching
the outside world. Exhibitions about Banksy can be visited in many
major cities. Taqi Spateen also exhibits his art in Europe.

YOU LEARN A LOT THROUGH PICTURES. THESE GRAFFITI IMAGES MAKE THE
REALITY OF LIFE IN PALESTINE ACCESSIBLE TO MANY PEOPLE. IT IS NOT
TRANSITORY ART; IT IS UNDERSTOOD EVERYWHERE, AND THE IMPRESSIONS
REMAIN. VISITORS GO HOME TOUCHED, INFORMED, AND SOMETIMES EVEN
DISTURBED.

In his graffiti titled _The Boy with the Goldfish Bowl_, Taqi Spateen
shows a child with what is left after the destruction of his childhood
home: the bowl with the goldfish. Images like these aim to highlight
and confront viewers with the injustice that occurs on an ongoing
basis.

For more information, please visit Mindermann Photography, Bethlehem,
available at [link removed], and
“Shop Behind the Wall,” available
at [link removed].

Article photos are courtesy of the author.  

_The German photographer URSULA MINDERMANN, together with a
Palestinian from Bethlehem, runs a shop close to the Graffiti Mile. In
her exhibition Graffiti Art in Bethlehem, Ursula has shown the works
of international and local artists at various locations in Germany.
The presented artworks have opened the eyes of visitors who are
interested in art and politics._

_Twenty-two years later, the potential This Week in Palestine still
looks bright. In fact, neither the magazine, not its team have been
ever stronger. We have been accused of; sometimes ridiculed for being
the eternal optimists of Palestine. I hope the following brief about
the company would show that our optimism was in place all along!_

_Briefly, Turbo Computers & Software Co. Ltd. ̶ publisher of THIS
WEEK IN PALESTINE ̶ started in September 1985 as a software house.
In 1986 we developed a full-fledged multi-lingual word
processor/typesetter around the (then) new laser printers. We were not
satisfied with what was available on the market as far as word
processors, so we simply built one of our own. It took us almost a
whole year to produce a decent word processor for which we also built
a set of fonts in Arabic; dot by dot. The package was a brilliant and
an affordable solution for those who needed to typeset text in Arabic.
Printers were particularly pleased with the product after realizing
that they could use it to typeset books. Seeing its business
potential, we started to use TurboSet, as we called the product,
ourselves and began to offer layout services, which in turn introduced
us to the design world._

_In the early 1990s we shifted almost totally to being a design firm.
Our technical background, coupled with being blessed with talented
designers, prompted us to cater to the higher end of the market with
designs and creativity that conform to international standards. For
over than two decades now, we’ve been commonly known as Turbo
Design._

_In December 1998, Turbo Design put out the first issue of an
English-language magazine called This Week in Palestine (TWiP).
Twenty-two years later, the magazine is considered to be a major
Palestinian success story and, unfortunately, remains the only
English-language magazine of its kind in Palestine. TWIP ESSENTIALLY
PROMOTES AND DOCUMENTS PALESTINE. In 2006, TWiP became a high-end
brand under which annual agendas, calendars, and posters are
marketed._

_More than two and a half decades after we started to offer design
services, we are still considered to be one of Palestine’s main
design firms with a track record of producing some of Palestine’s
highest-profile publications._

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