HomoSacer

Description

Artist Notes

This installation explores several paradoxical phenomena that reveal the fragility of identity, which is reduced to documents and visas, as well as the longing for freedom. Since the passport is real, issued by the Palestinian Authority after the Oslo Accord, and the jar is also from Gaza, it can be seen as if the Oslo Accord has imprisoned a whole generation. The passports, which usually grant a person the right and freedom to move, confirming their existence, have become a relic trapped in glass – yet visible and untouchable. It denied access and movement, making it seem unworthy. This work questions how political entities decide and control entire lives and their futures within the framework of bureaucracy, but also through symbols and memory, belonging and identity. The work also has another side, reflecting that identities after leaving home countries can become complex questions. This work can raise a few questions, but most importantly, it asks if identity is something we carry, take, seal, or put on display.

Preservation Notes

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION This is a physical work: an installation artifact, not a painting or collage, and not digital-native. The medium field records "Art Installation Artifact". Dimensions are recorded as 43 cm wide by 30 cm high, with no depth given (see OUTSTANDING VERIFICATION). Recorded components are an original Palestinian Authority passport, an original glass za'atar jar brought from the artist's home in Gaza, and the original Gazan land-grown za'atar contained in it. Per the description, the passport is sealed inside the glass jar; the passport was issued to the artist by the Palestinian Authority in the late 1990s and the jar travelled from Gaza to Europe filled with za'atar. The assembly therefore combines glass, paper (a document with printed, stamped, and laminated elements), and a dried organic plant material. No claim is made here about the present visual condition of any component; nothing has been inspected physically. Archivist's observation, retained in full: This is an installation piece which contains a Palestinian Authority mandated passport, which is not recognized by the global powers as a verified document that shows the Artist exists as a Palestinian from Gaza region of Palestine. Israel and the powers that be have conspired to erase the existence of these passports and all evidence of their existence along with the lives they contain on their papers. This Passport is a testimony to a Human Life that has been dehumanized to the furthest extent of a criminal colonial regime class of lawlessness that has still yet to face a world court to answer for their crimes against the dehumanization of Palestinians and genocide they have long ago conspired to commit to the eradication and erasure of Palestine. It is sealed in a simple jar which holds priceless sentimental value to the Artist, as it contained homemade herb called Zatar from his last memories of being home in Gaza. where it was grown and harvested for his travels, in this case. In the context of occupied Palestine, za'atar (wild thyme) is more than just a culinary staple; it is a profound symbol of indigenous identity, heritage, and resistance against erasure. CONSERVATION REQUIREMENTS This work must be treated as an installation artifact with an organic component and irreplaceable provenance. The passport and the za'atar are original, unique, and unrecoverable if damaged or lost; no replacement or substitution is possible, and any intervention must be reversible and fully documented. Organic content: the za'atar requires sealed, climate-controlled housing and periodic inspection for pest activity (insect infestation of dried plant material) and for desiccation, crumbling, and volatile-oil loss. Inspection must be scheduled and logged rather than performed ad hoc, and the seal integrity of the jar must be checked at the same intervals. Paper component: the passport is an acidic commercial document stock not manufactured to last. Continued deterioration (embrittlement, acid discolouration, ink and stamp fading, delamination of laminated pages) should be assumed and flagged as an ongoing risk. Assessment by a paper conservator is recommended before any handling, rehousing, or exhibition. Encapsulation in inert transparent film and protection from light, moisture, and oxygen are recommended for the document; if the passport is to remain sealed in the jar, an oxygen-reduced or otherwise stabilised microclimate inside the housing should be evaluated by a conservator. No dry-mounting, no pressure-sensitive tape, and no adhesive contact with the document. Any lifting or curling edges must be consolidated by a conservator before handling or reframing rather than pressed flat. Glass housing: the jar is both the display housing and a fragile component. Handle supported from beneath, never by the lid; house in a cushioned, inert-lined mount that prevents rolling, stacking, or point loading; transport upright with the jar immobilised. Do not open, decant, or clean the interior without conservator supervision, as opening exposes both the paper and the organic material to fresh oxygen and moisture. Display: UV-filtering glazing (and a UV-filtering vitrine or case for the object) is recommended, with low light levels and limited exposure duration. Saturated reds, yellows, and oranges are the passages most at risk of fading, which here includes printed and stamped inks on the passport and the colour of the dried herb. Avoid direct sunlight and keep relative humidity stable. DIGITAL RECORD The original capture was scanned in Sweden as a TIFF master in high, medium, and low resolution variants. Those TIFF masters are held outside this archive, and the file uploaded here is a converted derivative, not the master. CURRENT ASSET: PNG, 1088 x 1229 pixels, 2546 KB. Maximum reproduction size at 300 DPI is 4.1 inches on the long edge.

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