Gleaners
A digital anti-war collage of various photographic elements depicting the destruction wreaked on Beirut by Israeli jets. Crumbling residential buildings form the backdrop to this allegory. 36x13", signed, unframed. Larger sizes available. Please inquire.
Responses (1)
September 08, 2022
Najib Joe Hakim’s Gleaners starkly captures the horrors of war. Hakim removes all ambiguity and fictitious nobility from the narrative of war by selecting photographs of the destruction and inhumanity left behind by bombing civilian centers.
While the utter evil of war is unavoidably apparent when confronted by the imagery of its innocent victims, it retains a veneer of honor and necessity that can sway many people to its misbegotten banners. Most of these supporters are not inherent warmongers but victims of propaganda and a culture that has justified the unjustifiable for thousands of years. When faced with imperialism and violent expansionism, people have the right to defend themselves. Still, they would have no cause to do so had the soldiers of their attackers not fallen prey to the lie of necessary war. The unfortunate truth is that throughout history, war most destroys innocent lives, homes, and families. In turn, the surviving innocents become combative, either out of necessity, forced conscription, or anger.
Cultural depictions of war usually focus on heroic tales of battle and treat the resulting decimation as justification and condemnation. The scenes of misery that comprise Gleaners are rarely communicated to people in such a direct and undiluted fashion. There is no glory or moral ambiguity in the present work, only atrocity. If war was consistently depicted so honestly, we would live in a far more peaceful world.
- Category
- Conceptual, Historical and Political
- Type
- Other Art
- Materials
- Ink, Other
- Dimensions
-
36.00 inches wide
13.00 inches tall
1.00 inches deep - Weight
- 1.00 lbs
- Location
- San Francisco, CA, US