A new Christmas-themed artwork dubbed the "Scar of Bethlehem" by
secretive British artist Banksy is displayed at his Walled-Off Hotel in
Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank AfpPublished:
A manger scene juxtaposed against concrete blocks seemingly pierced
by a mortar shell: with Christmas looming, the latest Bethlehem offering
by secretive artist Banksy appeared Saturday in the Israeli-occupied
West Bank.
Dubbed the "Scar of Bethlehem", the baby Jesus, Mary
and Joseph are backlit through damaged concrete, chiseled pockmarks
exploding out from a gaping hole in four directions to approximate the
Christmas Star.
The work is installed at Banksy's Walled-Off
Hotel, where all rooms overlook a concrete section of the barrier built
by Israel to cut off the occupied West Bank from Israeli territory.
"Love"
and "peace" are respectively graffiti tagged in English and French on
the artistic installation's concrete blocks, while three large wrapped
presents are at the forefront of the scene.
"It is a nativity,"
the hotel's manager Wissam Salsaa told AFP after the piece was
installed. "Banksy has his own contribution to Christmas."
"It is
a great way to bring up the story of Bethlehem, the Christmas story, in
a different way -- to make people think more" of how Palestinians live
in Bethlehem.
Banky’s latest piece — his take on a nativity scene — has been unveiled at his hotel in Bethlehem.
The
“Scar of Bethlehem” artwork features a nativity scene with Mary and
Joseph and the baby Jesus – but instead of a star hanging over the crib,
there is what appears to be a large bullet hole piercing an imposing
grey wall.
The piece has appeared in the Walled Off Hotel, Banksy’s property which overlooks the border wall in the divided city.
The Walled Off Hotel (Dusan Vranic/AP)
Opened two years ago, the hotel is billed as having “the worst view
of any hotel in the world” and is filled with original Banksy artwork.
The
highlight is room number three, known as “Banksy’s Room”, where guests
sleep in a king-size bed underneath Banksy’s artwork showing a
Palestinian and an Israeli having a pillow fight.
The artist is
known for making political statements with his graffiti, and has made
previous forays into the Palestinian territories.
In one secret
visit, he drew a girl being pulled upwards by balloons on the dividing
wall, and he is believed to have sneaked into Gaza to draw four street
murals, including one on a metal door that depicted the Greek goddess
Niobe cowering against the rubble of a destroyed house.
A
local man came up and said 'Please - what does this mean?' I explained I
wanted to highlight the destruction in Gaza by posting photos on my
website – but on the internet people only look at pictures of kittens.#banksy#gaza
[AS
ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO
READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP
SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and
conversations) THAT EMPOWER
DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE &
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A Rodin-riffing new work from Banksy amid devastation in Gaza. All photos: banksy.co.uk
