Amjad Faur: "Liban," at the Archer Gallery
What draws me to (the work of Palestinian American Photographer Amjad Faur) is the intensity of the message created through stillness and depth. We often see violent, desperate, and sometimes hopeless images when we think of occupied Palestine. We think of the political relationships between countries as having broken down, leaving those living the day to day in a state of uncertainty… Amjad Faur, identifies the commonalities in the relationships between displacement and colonization of native communities in Palestine, which he explores within the context of contemporary Photography.” (Heleana Genaus). “You have artificial space,” Faur says, "….and those things have historically been determined and controlled by Western interests and always to the detriment and exclusion of Arab self- determination."
The title of this exhibit, Liban, (French for Lebanon) pertains to the impermanence and elasticity of the physical, social, cultural, and psychological spaces in the Middle East. Lebanon is just such a brutal example of what happens under colonial rule that utterly negates the identity and interests of native populations.
Faur has a BFA from the University of Arkansas and an M.F.A. University of Oregon. He is represented by PDX Contemporary Art in Portland, OR and has exhibited at: Space Atelier, Seattle, WA; Espace Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon; and numerous other national and international venues.
Exhibit: February 19 to March 15, 2014
RECEPTION: February 25, 3 to 5 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION: March 5, 7 to 8:30 pm
Gallery Hours: Tues.- Thurs. 10 am to 7 pm,
Fri. and Sat. noon to 5 pm