Against the Wall: The Art of Resistance in Palestine
Starred Review. In 2007, the elusive British street artist and activist Banksy initiated a collaboration in Bethlehem between international and Palestinian artists to draw attention to the Israeli wall built around occupied Palestine. In this elegantly realized photo book, journalist and photographer Parry combines images of the wall art, U.N. reports, and interviews with human rights observers and locals to critique the ongoing occupation and how the wall, specifically, facilitates the theft of land and water, the destruction of homes, and the extermination of Palestinian culture. Parry also reports that, while the majority of Palestinians welcomed the solidarity shown by Banksy and fellow artists, cultural and political sensitivities were not always in harmony with a project some saw as beautifying an object of oppression and horror. Nevertheless, the graffiti, painting, and stenciling speak with uncommon force and imagination to the injustice advanced and symbolized by the snaking concrete embankment, three times the height of the Berlin Wall and planned to be more than 700 kilometers long, that, in Banksy's words, "turns Palestine into the world's largest open prison." The greatest eloquence, however, remains in those Palestinian voices collected here who speak urgently to the human tragedy and resilience on display in the shadow of the wall. (June)(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC.  All rights reserved.