Self Portrait Series

Overview

Tarek Al Ghouseein was drawn to the apparent similarities between the Myth of Sisyphus and what he had observed to be a growing 'myth' generated through the Western media. Specifically the myth that all Palestinians are terrorists and that the Palestinian 'intifada', like Sisyphus, seems condemned to an endless cyclic struggle. Even the 'tools' of the myths have similarities. Sisyphus is condemned by the gods to push a stone up a hill for eternity only to have it roll back down when inches from the top. Since the mid-1980’s, the news media have associated the Palestinian 'intifada' with stone throwing and other acts of violence. Transcending media representations has been an ongoing 'uphill battle' for Palestinians. The works represents a commentary on contemporary Western media representations of the Palestinian as a terrorist. The series of self-portraits recontextualise the 'trademarks' of the 'intifada' (stone and scarf) using the light box, a medium traditionally reserved for advertising and the promotion of consumer goods. The process of producing these photographs resulted in my detainment in an Arab country outside the UAE.