Achi news desk-
It was produced in collaboration with Ciaran Glöbe, who was one of the artists behind the Banksy fake in Glasgow – a rat wearing a union jack bowler and beating a drum emblazoned with the words ‘God Save the King’ – which appeared in the city last June.
The stunt was intended to highlight the hypocrisy surrounding street art and graffiti, where some works of art are praised and appreciated while others are dismissed and deleted.
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Graffiti art is a major cultural force in Palestine. In August 2005, UK street artist Banksy and his team painted seven large murals on a section of the 440 mile long Western Wall, also referred to as the Separation Wall. Since then, the wall has gone on to become a hotspot for the graffiti scene, a major tourist attraction and a powerful work of art in its own right.
Mr Spateen has created many murals on the wall including The Boy with the Goldfish Bowl, showing a child with what remains after the destruction of his childhood home, a series of portraits of George Floyd, and his collaboration with r The North Face brand, Walls Meant For Climbing.
Now creating and exhibiting internationally, Spateen is inspired by the Palestinian countryside, particularly the olive tree, one of the most famous Palestinian symbols. His more recent paintings also include depictions of mass urbanization and colonial settlements on his homeland.
The Glasgow Mural is his second in a series of five murals across the UK, in conjunction with the Bethlehem Cultural Festival.
The Festival’s creative director, Melissa Scott, said: “We are excited to be able to facilitate a collaboration between Taqi and UK street artists.
“We hope the resulting murals will be a lasting legacy showing our hopes to remove the walls and borders that divide us as human beings. We continue to be devastated by the violence inflicted on all our friends , artists and cultural practitioners in Palestine.”
