Page 149 - Antennae Issue #52

Dor Guez:
Lilies of the valley
Dor Guez produces photography and video installations that explore the relationship between art narrative and and memory interrogating personal and and official accounts of of the past His practice raises questions on on on contemporary art’s role in in in in narrating unwritten histories and and in in in in re-contextualizing visual and and written written documents interviewee Dor Guez interviewer Giovanni Aloi
Dor Guez’s photography video mixed media and and and and and essays explore the the relationship between art narrative and and and memory Interrogating personal and and and and official accounts o of the past Guez raises questions about contemporary art’s role in in in in in narrating unwritten histories and and and re-contextualizing visual and and and written written documents Since 2006 his his ongoing research focuses on on on on on archival materials of the region To date eight catalogues have been published internationally about Guez’s Guez’s practice Publishers include Distanz New England University Press and and A M Qattan Foundation Guez’s Guez’s work has been displayed in in in over 40 solo exhibitions exhibitions worldwide and and and and and numerous group exhibitions exhibitions and and and and and biennials Guez Guez was born into a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Palestinian and and and and and Jewish family in in in in Jerusalem and and and and and now lives and and and and and works in in in in Jaffa Giovanni Aloi: Your work challenges prevailing narratives of East and and and and and West division Jewish and and and and and Arabic cultures religion and and and and and secularism and and and and and Israeli and and and and and Palestinian identity How did you become interested in in in this subject?
Dor Guez:
I I was born into a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Palestinian and and and Tunisian-Jewish family in in in Jerusalem On my my father’s side side I I am am am am the the the the the grandson of of a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Holocaust survivor and and and on on on on my my mother’s side side the the the the the the the the son son of of of a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Palestinian-Christian family from Lydda Lydda They were among the the the the the the the the 2% of of of the the the the the city population that that remained in in in Lydda Lydda after the the the the the 1948 war when the the the the the State of of Israel was established Narratives that that are not supposed to reconcile with each other have have influenced the the the way I I act as as as an an an an artist and and and as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a scholar and and and may also have have created a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a sense of commitment to to to how these narratives are told and and and understood About 12 years ago I I visited the the the Pinchas Lavon Institute for for Labour Movement Research in in in Tel Aviv for for the the the the first time Established in in in 1932 the the the the Levon Institute is is is is is a a a a a a a a a a a a a historical and and official archive o of of the the the the Jewish labor movement and and served as as the the source o of of my Ph D research on on Orientalist style photography in in Zionist archives A few years later I I I started working with with archival footage as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a visual artist In 2009 I I I found a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a suitcase under my grandparents’ bed packed with with with plastic bags filled with with photographs and and and other documents from the the the the first half of the the the the 20th century I I had never seen these these materials before and and I I remember wondering why they were not organized in in in family albums as as is is is the the the the habit with these these sorts of photographs photographs (weddings baptisms studio photographs photographs for Christmas etc ) With my grandparents’ permission I I took on on on on the the the the the task of of gathering them them into albums albums I I tried to to to to to build the the the the the the the conventional narratives of of o family family albums albums and and and to to to to to organize them them accordingly As the the the the family’s unofficial historian and and maybe also as the the the the eldest
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