The interior is an invention from the shores
Title Municipalidad de la Palestina, Cordoba - Argentina 2022
Format 100x170cm
Description Charcoal on canvas, gold leaf, iron and rope
Title Cantón Palestina, Guayas - Equador 2022
Format 100x170cm
Description Charcoal on canvas, gold leaf, iron and rope
Title Alcadía de Palestina, Caldas - Colombia 2022
Format 100x170cm
Description Charcoal on canvas, gold leaf, iron and rope
Title Palestina de las Cruces - Petén 2022
Format 100x170cm
Description Charcoal on canvas, gold leaf, iron and rope
Title Palestina de los Altos - Quetzaltenango 2022
Format 100x170cm
Description Charcoal on canvas, gold leaf, iron and rope
Title Palestina de Alagoas - Brasil 2022
Format 100x170cm
Description Charcoal on canvas, gold leaf, iron and rope
Title Palestina do Pará - Brasil 2022
Format 100x170cm
Description Charcoal on canvas, gold leaf, iron and rope
Title Palestina de Goiás - Brasil 2022
Format 100x170cm
Description Charcoal on canvas, gold leaf, iron and rope
Title Palestina de São Paulo - Brasil 2022
Format 100x170cm
Description Charcoal on canvas, gold leaf, iron and rope
The Interior is an Invention from the Shores is an installation made up of nine banners of charcoal and gold leaf on cotton, each representing a municipality founded under the name Palestine in what is now known as Latin America.
These localities stretch from the province od Córdoba in Argentina to the border between Guatemala and Mexico, including four in Brazil, one in Equador and two in Colombia, all stablished over nearly a century between 1894 and 1988. On one side of the banners are the municipal coats of arms, while the reverse side depicts graphic interpretations based on satellite images of each place and the routes leading to them.
The installation is a large spatial drawing, a journey composed of multiple paths that criss-cross, advance and retreat without a fixed destination. A wandering journey on the traces of coal and gold.
The research shifted focus upon discovering that the municipalities bearing the name Palestine were not sites of settlement for the Palestinian diaspora. Public archives revealed no Arab family names associated with their foundation.
Instead, these localities reflect a biblical and religious imaginary, rather than the presence of Palestinian immigrants. Situated in the interior regions of Latin American countries, far from major urban centers, these municipalities were largely stablished by European immigrants or their descendants during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
This period saw large-scale immigration directed towards agricultural colonization, a process tied to settle colonialism. This approach sought not only resource exploitation but also the permanent occupation of land through population settlement.
The establishment of these and similar cities thus aligned with state-driven strategies of territorial expansion and control, encompassing both physical occupation and symbolic representation.
Whitin this context, the work focuses on documenting the visual emblems that construct local identities while contributing to broader nation-building projects. The title underscores the direction of occupation, moving from the coast towards the continent's interior, reflecting the civilizing objectives and imported external influences to shape these regions.
