To Measure Jerusalem: Explorations of the Square

A Palestinian artist, in discussing his work, cuts back and forth between his past and the present, retracing his itinerary from Jerusalem to the United States, from Morocco and Andalusia to France, linking each place to stages in his artistic explorations. In so doing, he sheds light on the ancient roots of his art and says as much about the condition of exile as about painting.

Kamal Boullata, an artist, whose works are held in numerous public collections including those of the Arab World Institute in Paris, the World Bank, the New York Public Library, and the British Museum, has written widely on art. His latest book is Istihdar al-Makan: Dirasat fi al-Fan al-Filastini al-Mu'asir [Recovery of Distance: A Study of Contemporary Palestinian Art] (Tunis: ALECSO). The present text originally appeared in the catalogue of his recent exhibition at the Shoman Foundation's Darat al-Funun Gallery in Amman.