(On Art! is an occasional item on artifacts of transnational culture)On Monday, the Israeli not-for-profit Gisha: Legal Center for Freedom of Movement (about which we've blogged here), along with Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and the Gaza Community Mental Health Program hosted an opening for an exhibit entitled "Childhood Under Fire", presenting drawings created by children in Gaza over the past year. In the words of the conference organizers:
On December 27, 2008, following an escalation of violence from both sides, Israel began a 23-day offensive on the Gaza Strip that incurred massive damage and claimed the lives of many. Four hundred and sixty-eight girls and boys were killed, thousands more were injured or lost their parents, and tens of thousands were made homeless. Childhood is the symbol of dreams, future and hope. This exhibition sends a strong message to all to protect childhood on both sides of the fence: to protect hope.If the trip to Tel Aviv might be prohibitive but the exhibit is of interest, not to worry; you can view the catalogue of drawings here. (My personal favorite is the enormous flower on page 8, which demonstrates an incredible capacity for hope, but it would be significantly less meaningful without the pictures that come before and after.) Moreover, photos of the opening event are available here, though these just make one more sorry to miss what was surely an excellent program, including theatrical performances and a psychological analysis of the drawings.
