Art + Culture Diaries: A Subjective Atlas of Palestine / Graffiti Lives

Its been said before history is often his story.  Those who control the means of production get to create the master narrative.  As the democratization of media unfolds in the 21st century more and more stories are accessible to larger and larger audiences.  Two stories with rich local histories, global implications and misrepresentation in mainstream media are the stories of Palestine and Graffiti. The book Subjective Atlas of Palestine, a project by Dutch designer Annelys de Vet, includes artwork about Palestine from the perspective of the countries own artists, designers and photographers.  Its premise being – “Sublime landscapes, tranquil urban scenes, frolicking children; who would associate these images with Palestine? All too often the Western media shows the country’s gloomy side, and Palestinians as aggressors. It is this that makes identifying with them virtually impossible. If we are to relate to the Palestinians other images are needed, images seen from a cultural and more human vantage point.”

(Image: New Flags for Palestine, p.244-245, Subjective Atlas of Palestine)

Visual art and all forms of media have a significant role to play as negotiation, communication and collaboration become the new cornerstones of power relations on a global scale.  The humor and creativity housed in Subjective Atlas of Palestine makes a huge contribution to this effort and has continually received recognition and awards since its publication in October of 2007. Click here for more info on the project or to purchase the book.

(Subjective Atlas of Palestine, Edited and Designed by Annelys de Vet. Cover image: Yazan Khalili, Colour Correction.)

Graffiti Lives: Beyond the Tag in New York’s Urban Underground, by Greg Snyder, is also poised to make a contribution from an insider’s viewpoint.  However, in this case on the topic of the often misunderstood world of graffiti.  Snyder, trained as a sociologist, spent over 10 years in the world of graffiti as a fan, occasional graf writer, photographer and scholar. His experiences, insights and exploration of graffiti culture in New York City take readers through streets and subway tunnels; to high end galleries, corporate design, marketing and publishing firms; and, on a mind trip through art, style and commerce.  Along the way Snyder captured the skillz of the writers he encountered in his own Graffiti Lives “blackbook” - a quintessential component of newer generations of graf writers.  The implications of crime, practice and sought after skillz that can eventually land writers in the “legit” capitalist marketplace are laid out for public consumption, consideration and awe.  Graffiti Lives’ release date is January 2009.

(Image from the Graffiti Lives “blackbook“. Click here for more…)

Purchase the book!  Watch the trailer!