This is a art piece by Kelsea Petersen depicting pro-Palestinian protestors who stormed Hamilton Hall in Columbia University after the university took away their encampments on April 30th. The focus of this art piece is the Hind’s Hall Banner that they hang from the balcony which represents the taking over of the building in honor of the the 5 year old little girl, Hind Rami Iyad Rajab, who was murdered by Israeli forces along with 6 of her family members. They were in their car, fleeing the city due to the war, when the vehicle was shelled (bombarded with artillery). Most of her family died immediately and later on everyone but the 5 year old girl was dead. She was left stranded in a car with all of her dead relatives for hours. Ultimately she was found dead alongside the paramedics that tried to save her. The car was found to be shot up 335 times. 335 bullets were shot through the car that she was in.
I do believe that this art piece is a hundred percent still relevant. The killing of Palestinians is still ongoing and with the death toll reaching over 680,000 people, most of which are children and teenagers, it has been classified as a ongoing genocide. This protest art is a reclaiming of peoples voices. A way to show solidarity with victims of mass bombing, shootings, torture. These protest’s are a way to shake up our daily lives in the west where we are away from all this tragedy and made to feel as though the world is spinning like normal. Many of the victims of this brutal genocide are teenagers, kids, and infants. They won’t get the ability to speak their minds freely, they won’t get to have a say in the future, or how they lived their lives. This war took away their voices and their lives and that makes this art that much more relevant. It is a way for people to speak for those unable to speak and a way to educate and reclaim autonomy against ruthless behavior. It ultimately is a sign of resistance that shows they are condemning the brutal and completely unnecessary loss of life.
Leave a Reply