52 *Centre of Life : yazan khalili

Centre of Life, 2018
Chalks on a blackboard

This project aims to question the notion of Jerusalem as a “center of life,” by looking into the legality of “belonging” to the city. It explores Jerusalem not as a place but as legal processes and paperwork. I ask how the city is maneuvered through legal procedures and the life decisions one must make to insure access and ability to live in the city. Considering Jerusalem as a center of life raises questions about what a city means in a time of apartheid and destruction. What becomes evidence to marshall to prove one’s basis in the city? This project probes the materiality of life such as documents, bills, taxes, where the needle is put, the smell of coffee in the morning, where the car is parked, whether you have a TV, and to whom you are married.

The works shows diagrams the possibilities for maneuvering through the legal system, but also, the ways these actions change the “shape” of the city. Here the diagram works like a city map.

Exhibitions:
Jerusalem Show, 2018. curated by Kirsten Scheid and Jack Persekian
Survival Kit, 2020. curated by Katia Krupennikova

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