The first Jerusalem Show: Outside the Gates of Heaven
Partners and venues:
- African Community Centre
- Al Irshad Centre
- Al Saraya Centre for Community Services
- Armenian Convent
- Burj Al Laqlaq Community Centre
- Café Al Haj Ahmad Al A’araj
- Centre for Jerusalem Studies
- Faisal Al Husseini Foundation
- French Cultural Centre
- GalleryAnadiel
- Jerusalem Hotel
- Nidal Centre for Community Development
- Old City Youth Club
- Palestinian Art Court – Al Hoash
- Riwaq Centre for Architectural Conservation
- Ru’ya (Palestinian Vision)
- Sabreen Association for Artistic Development
- Spafford Children’s Centre
- Swedish Christian Studies Centre
- Welfare Association
The first Jerusalem Show (the ‘pilot’ Show) took as its English title and general framework the translation of the Arabic title, ‘Outside the Gatesof Heaven’. The difference in the two namings is symbolic of the layerings, breaks and ruptures that are part of the cultural and linguistic contexts Al Ma’mal operates in. Perceptions of the city, and all the histories that have affected it, are part of the fabric of the daily life of the city’s residents, with the close contact they have with its rituals and sites of reverence as well as with the divisiveness and tensions. For the Arab world in general and for the millions of Palestinians in the diaspora, especially those who have been denied access to the city since the illegal occupation of Jerusalem in 1967, and for the West Bank and Gaza residents who have been prevented from going there since the closures following Second Intifada, Jerusalem is laden with a heavy burden of symbolism and relevance. In 2007, these contradictions and contrasts were reflected in the artworks, performances and interventions that were installed in different venues in the Old City in the first Jerusalem Show, suggesting a rereading of the city – but of more than just the city – in a creatively open, accessible and interactive manner.Guided tours led people through the narrow streets and alleys, down into ancient hamams or up onto rooftops, and into community centres and clubs, to see paintings, photography, installations, video and sound works by twenty-five artists from Palestine and abroad. It was possible briefly to put to one side the fragmentations and complexities, to see things differently and experience the super-layer of abuses of history, humanity, respect and dignity through other perspectives.
Jshow I Artists
- Nabil Anani
- Ayreen Anastas
- Tayseer Barakat
- Alban Biaussat
- Zeyad Dajani
- Anne-Marie Filaire
- Rula Halawani
- Khaled Hourani
- EmilyJacir
- Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen
- Sliman Mansour
- Walid Maw’ed
- Faten Nastas
- Desiree Palmen
- Mario Rizzi
- Larissa Sansour
- Surekha
- Naoko TakaHashi
- Vera Tamari
- Jean-Luc Vilmouth
- Mohanad Yacoubi