EXCERPT
The Indigenous Artists Creating Work in Solidarity With Palestine
Molly Lipson - May 27, 2024
Victor Pascual is a Navajo Mayan architect and graphic designer currently based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since October, he has been creating posters that he shares online to support the growing pro-Palestine movement. One of his most popular posters, shared on Instagram in December, is inspired by sand painting, a practice in Navajo and other Indigenous cultures historically used for healing.
Pascual renders the First Man and First Woman, cultural figures within the Diné creation story, as protectors of the land of Palestine. Bands of brown and blue color stretch around the map outline, signifying harmony and balance in Pascual’s native tradition. Rather than meeting, the bands leave an opening signifying what’s known in the creation story as the emergence, the entry point for all creation to enter Earth. “The idea that I wanted to convey with this piece was protection, because that’s what we do as people,” Pascual told Hyperallergic. “Not only do we protect ourselves, but we also protect those around us. Also, and most importantly, we protect the earth.”
Source:
https://hyperallergic.com/917454/indigenous-artists-victor-pascual-nipinet-landsem-danielle-seewalker-creating-work-in-solidarity-with-palestine/