artBahrain: How did you get your start in the art world?

Jack Persekian: Hmm, I think I’ve answered this question many times but always wonder whether I should stick to a chronological narrative or look at it as a recurring “start” that comes every time with the excitement of discovering something new, learning something else, going somewhere else, knowing somebody new… I think what’s amazing about art is its ability to constantly surprise you, and with time this becomes addictive. So when I think about your question I wonder where you see me now? Midway … halfway … at a turning point … at a high point … at a low point … at a junction …? I am saying this because I believe what’s important is not when, where or why I started, but what it means to be involved in art and over such a long time, in a place where life is so absurd and abnormal, and where it seems the only normal thing is that we’re alive. Art, as I see it, has continuously defined and redefined itself, particularly during the last two decades in our part of the world, and has propelled its protagonists to a more central role in the life of their societies. And I, for one, have worked on finding the meaning and the purpose of my work and its impact. It’s an ongoing process of investigation, reflection and commitment.

AB: What led you to open Anadiel Gallery in 1992, what kind of art did you show? 

JP: I don’t think it was so much about showing as it was about doing and creating. Opening Anadiel was like opening a window to the world where one can look outside to enjoy, learn and breathe fresh air in a time of siege and confrontation, and at the same time where people from the outside can peak in, explore and engage with the local scene. Through Anadiel, I saw the opportunity to inject new ideas and create parallel paths towards a new dawn, a breakthrough (remember that was the time of the beginning of the now defunct [Oslo?] Peace Process). What I showed could have been different from what was prevalent, consciously provocative, and deliberately unorthodox in an attempt to break through the state of siege under Israeli occupation, as well as the self-inflicted restrictions, which came as a mechanism to protect our fragile identity and being. I was looking for art and artists who could inspire a new reading of our situation, and propose intelligent alternatives to how to deal with what is a totally abnormal state.

AB: Since it was the first and only independent art gallery in Palestine, did you prefer to show artists you discovered or established ones?

JP: I like very much when you describe the gallery as “the first and only”, yet you qualify it by “was” and that’s totally fine with me!But again I don’t think that we should dwell on what happened, because what matters is that I made certain choices by working with artists established in certain circles and others who were not connected, affiliated or even in agreement with these circles; and please note that the gallery created new circles of its own and eventually became a sort of “establishment”, which necessitated the creation of a new entity, separate and distinct from Anadiel, molded and structured to become a foundation for art.

AB: Al-Ma’mal Foundation is your brainchild. Can you talk a little about the motivation and background for your starting an independent nonprofit art centre in Jerusalem?

JP: Well, Al Ma’mal Foundation is not exactly “my” brainchild; it cannot be. Al Ma’mal Foundation was established to serve the art community as a non-profit, independent organization, and as such it legally had to have a founding board of at least seven people. And that’s exactly what happened. There were seven of us and each had his/her role to play. Yet, going back to your question about “the motivation”, I think the simplest answer would be that I tried with every possible means to continue and develop what had already been achieved in the previous six years in Anadiel Gallery. The Al Ma’mal Foundation is something like taking the work that was done in Anadiel to another level. It was the evolution of work through grafting branches from the gallery’s tree onto many trees (an orchard).

AB: Established in 1998, what has Al-Ma’mal Foundation done for the greater arts scene in Palestine?

JP: I humbly can say that over the past 15 years it was able to contribute to the art scene in Palestine through its programs, exhibitions (foremost being the Jerusalem Show), residencies, workshops and public engagements. Now, how effective and meaningful its contributions were over the years is not for me to answer because I’m very implicated in it.

AB: How has the Palestinian public’s interest in contemporary art changed over the years?

JP: I think we’ve seen a steady increase in the number of people who are involved in art. There are far more students of art, a much larger art scene in terms of practicing artists and definitely more specialized art institutions operating in Palestine. There is greater interest amongst the media and more visible involvement of art practitioners in public life and in the work of a good number of distinct entities – in universities, NGOs, government agencies and the private sector.

AB:  Throughout your dynamic rise as a director/curator of international art projects, you never lost touch with your driving motivation to promote art from Palestine, how long did you plan Qalandiya International?

JP: Thank you for pointing out this very important contextual aspect of my career. I think I draw strength and meaning from this strong connection with what is a defining part of my identity. I think it keeps me grounded and always aware of the real purpose of my work. You know, one can get carried away by the trappings of success … yet it’s critical that you keep a certain critical distance from what you do and always ask yourself the question: what’s the meaning of all this? Why am I doing this? How does it jibe with my vision and mission in life, no matter how comfortable or intolerable the situation is, no matter how lucrative or pitiful the conditions are, no matter how successful or desperate life has become?

AB:  You could have organized Qalandiya International years ago, why do you think the time was right for this event?

JP: No, I couldn’t have. The idea came this year and I went all the way to see it happen. The beginning is this year and it’s for years to come. The seven institutions came together this year and we all believed that it should happen now and that there’s a need for this gesture. It was the “right” time simply because the on the ground situation demanded a stance from the cultural institutions across the country for a collective voice that spoke about life, unity and freedom.

AB: Would you say that this project has something experimental about it? Or were you already aware of the outcome?

JP:Everything about this project was experimental. Actually the whole project was a laboratory, from testing how the institutions would work together, to how the artists would deal with the different and scattered work environments, to how the disparate audiences, observers and critics would deal with such an intense and diverse program of events and activities. The challenges, of course, were immense but the outcomes were very rewarding.

AB: What were the challenges you had to overcome when creating Qalandiya International?

JP: I don’t know where to start, but most notably for me personally was being involved in defining the idea of the project, creating a structure for the partnerships, and arguing for its importance and viability as it was being formulated and presented.

AB: What was the geographic diversity and level of the participating artists? What were some of the standout works featured? What were the biggest surprises?

JP: We had artists from Palestine, Australia, Mexico, Lebanon, Iran, Argentina … but my biggest surprise was when one journalist from the US pointed out that there are no prima donnas amongst the artists. I said this place cannot afford prima donnas!

AB: So what are the opportunities, possibilities, and impossibilities of Qalandiya International 2014?

JP: In a place where everything shifts from one day to the other, and where the ground seems more like quicksand than a springboard towards the future, all I can say is that the opportunities lie in our ability to turn impossibilities into possibilities and to defy the regressive and racist forces which are trying to rid this land of any meaning of life.

AB: Finally, what has been your most satisfying and creative achievement thus far?

JP: I think my biggest achievement is to have been able to live up to my beliefs.
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