JERUSALEM FROM BOTH SIDES

By Lydia Aisenberg

Ata Awisat during the opening of his photographic exhibition at the Givat Haviva Art Center's Peace Gallery in December 2008

Ata Awisat is a Palestinian photojournalist who lives in Jabal Al Mukabir in East Jerusalem.  For the last 17 years Awisat has been an employee of Israel's largest daily newspaper Yediot Aharonot – the only Palestinian photographer and holder of an Israeli identity card to work for an Israeli Hebrew language daily. 

Although he takes photographs of anything and everything that attracts his artistic eye and journalistic senses, a series of his outstanding photographs depicting Jerusalem are on exhibit until the end of January in the Peace Gallery of the Givat Haviva Art Center.

A 39 year-old father of three young children, Ata Awisat is self-taught although did undertake a short photography course run by the Israel Museum in the city some years ago.

Awisat concentrates on news and the Jewish-Arab conflict but also photographs other newsworthy subjects of which there are many in Israel's extraordinary and colorful capital city known as the City of Gold but fraught with religious and political tensions.

When Etti Amram, director of the Givat Haviva Art Center's Peace Gallery, was looking for artistic content for an exhibition held last summer marking the 60^th anniversary of the State of Israel she sought out Awisat after reading about him and his work on the internet.

The prize winning photojournalist – one of his photographs won the title 'The Best Local Witness 2007' at an international competition – readily agreed last summer to exhibit a few of his photographs in the extremely successful 60^th anniversary exhibition of photography, sculptures, paintings and ceramic creations.

After a couple of Awisat's graphic photographs of daily life alongside the 20 meter high concrete wall dividing the city sparked a great deal of interest from gallery visitors, Amram invited the East Jerusalemite to have an exhibition of his own at the Peace Gallery of Givat Haviva – to which he readily agreed.

"I welcome the opportunity to show my work at the Peace Gallery," says Awisat who defines himself as sitting on the fence – or wall – between east and west, between news photos and art.

During his career Awisat was badly beaten by undercover police whilst photographing disturbances during the second intifada (uprising) in Jerusalem and needed hospitalization.  He was also arrested a number of times for trying to take photographs of other such disturbances.  His recent application to renew his photojournalist license was refused by the Israeli authorities with no reason given.

"After 17 years I have no idea why they will not renew my license," a dismayed Awisat said this week adding he was hopeful somehow it would be renewed eventually.

"Choosing from among his vast collection of photographs was a struggle," explains Arts Center director Amram.  "We eventually decided to have photographs of Jerusalem and as you can see they are very powerful photographs indeed," she adds - spreading her arms both sides to encompass the gallery walls adorned with Awisat's shots of the Dome of Rock, individual and large groups of Muslims at prayer, the intricate and attractive stone and iron work, arched windows and doorways of the majestic buildings of the Dome of the Rock and expansive views from the mount.

Ata Awisat's son of the city photographic eye catches the sheer beauty of Jerusalem during all four seasons of the year, snow, sunshine, rain, cloudy and bright blue skies – whilst also dealing with the stark realities of living alongside the wall – best depicted with a new Palestinian bride and groom and wedding guests all spruced up in their best clothes, picking their way through the stone strewn path alongside the enormous concrete slabs making up the wall.

"Under every stone there is a story or picture," says Awisat who successfully captures the life and spirit, deep emotions as well as pain of a very special city for so many people throughout the world.