S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Palestinians and Israelis separated by high walls with words of protest written on them, or sharing the same side of the street. In the buses, on the sidewalks, two peoples and two cultures coexisting as occupants and occupied. Such is the context underlying the show \u201cEntre Muros e Ideias\u201d (Amid Walls and Ideas), by the S\u00e3o Paulo-based photographer Marcos Muniz, featuring at S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s Museu da Imagem e do Som (MIS) up until October 28.<\/p>\n
The 19 images comprising the show are the result of a ten-day trip of Muniz\u2019s to Israel and the occupied territories of Palestine, in 2010, during which he travelled to the cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
Passionate about Arab culture and a graffiti fan, Muniz turned his attention to the big walls which are part of the landscape of those cities, spiked with words of protest and calls for a free Palestine. \u201cIt\u2019s the power of communication. The walls reflect what the people feel,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sensed that not only there are physicals barriers such as the checkpoints but also ideological ones,\u201d says the photographer of the trip. He talks about his contact with the locals during walks and the photo shoots. \u201cIn the streets I met lots of people. I would stop people to talk and whenever they would see me with the camera, they would stop me to ask about the photos.\u201d<\/p>\n
He explains that before taking the trip, all he knew about the Arab world was what the media broadcasted. Upon witnessing the situation of Palestinians up close, he felt \u201ca tension, a rupture between the two cultures.\u201d \u201cI sense that they are disillusioned, embittered. I don\u2019t mean to say that they are hateful, but I noticed a feeling of powerlessness,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The entire show is reminiscent of a multi-religious atmosphere. The sound of people singing excerpts from the Koran and the Torah helps visitors get in the mood of the dual environs of coexistence between Arabs and Jews. <\/p>\n
The images of civilians and soldiers sharing the same premises gives an idea of the stark contrast involved in the situations of Palestinians and Israeli. \u201cIt\u2019s a dream of all Arabs and Muslims for Palestine to be freed,\u201d says Khalil Siagh, an Algerian student who visited the show. <\/p>\n
In one attention-grabbing photograph, two men walk side by side, one wearing Bermuda shorts and flip flops, and the other in a uniform and toting a rifle. The hijab-wearing Arab women standing on one sidewalk by two orthodox Jews in their black attire and hats highlight the cultural and religious chasm in the Holy Land. <\/p>\n
According to Muniz, the show is not meant to take either side. To him, the photographs are the result of a foreign eye on the coexistence of Palestinians and Israelis. \u201cI wanted to raise questions and cause people to think. Photographs is not just art, it must move the people,\u201d says.<\/p>\n
Service <\/b>
Show \u201cEntre Muros e Ideias\u201d (Amid Walls and Ideas)
Museu da Imagem e do Som (MIS)
Avenida Europa, 158, Jardim Europa, S\u00e3o Paulo – SP
Tuesdays to Saturday from 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm; Sundays and holidays from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm
Until October 28
Admittance is free<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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