Palestinian House

Palestinian House (2009) is a central work in Berend Strik's Thixotropy exhibition at Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam (June–July 2009). The photographs were taken during Strik's journey through East Jerusalem and the West Bank, where he documented both Palestinian and Jewish settlements.

As Artmap describes: "Palestinian House shows a close-up of a house. Several elements attract our attention. Pieces of tulle, in light but vivid colours, cover the branches of the tree in front of the terrace. They look like sheets hung out to dry. Tools, a few stray garden chairs, and plastic crates are strewn about at random. Yet the house behind that spontaneous collection appears to have a clearly defined structure."

Strik notes that "although this is a 'Palestinian House', its core structure is based on Israeli examples. Starting from this central design, it has gradually been altered in response to requirements and new additions to the family, taking on a new, spontaneous form." Architecture provides subtle intimations of a situation in which contrasts abound.

Strik's textile interventions do not obscure the photograph but reveal an "intermediate space" where the image's initial meaning is opened up and given more specific content with layers of fabric and thread. As NRC Handelsblad noted: "The most beautiful works are those in which the additions are so subtle you barely notice them." The work forms a diptych with Israel House, exploring both sides of the conflict through the universal lens of home.

Sources: Galerie Fons Welters · Artmap review · NRC review