La La Lil Jidar: 20 Years Behind the Apartheid Wall in Palestine

Aisha Mershani’s photography documents nearly 20 years of the Israeli Apartheid Wall and exposes the tumultuous recent history surrounding the wall. She most recently returned to the Occupied West Bank in summer 2022, finding countless people she photographed in 2004/2005. By photographing people again, Mershani shows a timeline of the ‘then and now’ behind the Wall through individual stories.

The act of viewing has proven to elicit an emotional response; therefore, this project uses photography, as well as first hand testimonies from Palestine that can be accessed through QR codes. The audio compliments the image, leading the viewer/listener to a website that mirrors the gallery show. The audio and visual elements give the audience a more comprehensive sense of life direct from Palestine.

Aisha Mershani is working in alignment with the Philly Palestine Coalition, a local solidarity coalition comprising numerous organizations in the Philly area, to activate the gallery space. A group of artists and activists have come together to form the La La Lil Jidar Collective, who hold the intention to use arts and culture for the public to see how this global fight is deeply integral and tied to the local fights. The Collective believes that, with knowledge, they are able to shift the mainstream narrative on Palestine, while simultaneously building local community struggles through solidarity against all forms of violence.

The intent of this exhibit is to educate, while simultaneously building a broader community using the gallery space. Each week the collective will host 2-3 events in the gallery during the two-month exhibition, which will include numerous organizations, artists, and educators to draw direct connections between Philly and Palestine. This multimedia experience will engage audiences towards the realities on the ground through this artistic expression.