Bethlehem Bandolero
Larissa Sansour. Bethlehem Bandolero, 2005–2005.
Description:
After years in exile, the Palestinian artist returns to her native town, Bethlehem, only to find out that the town has been divided by the Israeli segregation wall. Unable to see friends and family, Sansour sets out to confront the wall in an absurd and bizarre duel exposing the political madness of the region.
Bethlehem Bandolero is a kitsch video featuring Larissa Sansour herself as a Mexican gunslinger arriving in Bethlehem for a duel with the Israeli Segregation Wall. Wearing a big, red sombrero and a scarf, she walks the streets of Bethlehem and greets the people before taking off for her final showdown. The editing is inspired by television effects from the seventies. The humor of the piece is stressed by the underlying music.
What makes Bethlehem Bandolero controversial is its bold mixture of world crises and blatant absurdity. The piece challenges the current dialogue on the Middle East by shaking its conceptual foundations.
Medium:
Video
Tags:
Politics, video, humor, human rights
Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum
