Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) - Artists 4 Palestine
The Fruit of Resistance
Churchill Square
Festival Workshops
Saturday June 29
12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Sunday June 30
12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Monday July 1
12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Artist Statement
Rooted in mobilizing the arts as a tool for revolution and demonstrating solidarity with Palestine, SJP Artists 4 Palestine’s projects speak more broadly to themes of censorship, resistance, and the significance of symbolic imagery in the arts. The watermelon has served as a symbol of Palestinian resistance and solidarity for decades. When the Israeli government first criminalized public displays of the Palestinian flag in 1967, the fruit became a symbol that allowed the circumvention of the ban. Naturally red, white, green, and black like the Palestinian flag itself, the watermelon became a stand-in that continues to be mobilized to demonstrate solidarity with Palestine today.
about the artist
SJP Artists 4 Palestine is a committee within the University of Alberta’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Composed of diverse artists allied-in-solidarity, the committee’s projects range in their application of artistic practices - including collage, printmaking, fibre arts, graphic design, and more. Under the banner of SJP, the committee is responsible for organizing and supplying artistic endeavors, and collaborating with local organizations and community groups to deliver SJP’s mandates and demands to the broader public. Using a multi-disciplinary approach in facilitating dialogue, education, and community-care through art-making, SJP Artists 4 Palestine’s projects are ultimately rooted in solidarity with the people of Palestine and call for the complete liberation of Palestine.