Union is a new online magazine that is creating a space for the work of Palestinian artists and those of the diaspora to be celebrated. The artists so far featured in the magazine interact with wide-ranging themes, from Arab masculinity to diaspora psychology, and occupation, and use a whole plethora of mediums to express them, including photography, installation art and traditional Palestinian embroidery techniques. Union recognises art as a powerful form of resistance, and one of the “the most potent forms of expression when words fail”. It holds the words and philosophy of John Berger close, especially his thesis on seeking justice through art.
The magazine is founded by Artists + Allies Hebron (AAH), an NGO that draws attention to the situation in Hebron H2, a Palestinian city which exists under occupation by Israeli military forces. AAH draws attention to human rights violations in the area, and also invites high-profile figures in the arts industry to visit Hebron and meet local artists and activists. At the upcoming Venice Biennale, AAH will be hosting an exhibition in collaboration with the Dar Jacir for Art and Research initiative in Bethlehem, which will explore the aspects of land and agriculture, like the pertinence of olive groves to Palestinian heritage, and how their protection also acts as a form of resistance.
AAH and Union are both founded by Issa Amro, a Palestinian human rights defender, activist and advocate for nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience who lives in occupied Hebron, and Adam Broomberg, a South-African artist, educator and activist based in Berlin, as well as being supported by a team of researchers, coordinators and writers.
Below, we find out about the artists profiled so far in the magazine.
