by Abed Abdi, is a mixed-media work ,قناع comprised of tulle, paint, and glue on a board. It depicts a head wrapped in gauze against a gray, murky background framed on both sides by blue and navy lines. Hints of a crisscrossed mesh of a metal link fence in the back glimpse through from behind the white.

The name of the piece, mask, insinuates that something is deliberately being hidden. In relation to the Palestinian struggle, the first image that comes to mind is the necessary wrapping of the kufiya around the face to avoid detection by the occupation soldiers.

Here, however, the gauze is insinuating that there is an injury beneath the wrappings. Yet, the material remains pristinely white, with no evidence of blood or gore.

While it seems to be tightly woven for the most part, there are moments in the piece where the material looks like it is falling apart and sliding off the face. This suggests that the mask has served its purpose, and whatever is hidden underneath will be revealed soon, regardless of the concealed chain link fence behind it.


signed and dated in English on the lower right front