linoleum print
“My work, Funded Tears, brings awareness to the Genocide that is currently occurring in Gaza, Palestine, and the U.S. funds that are being sent to Israel to fund their assaults on the Palestinian civilians. Throughout my work I include symbols of the Palestinian resistance and culture such as the Watermelon and my border being one of the three patterns from the Keffiyeh. The watermelon represents the Palestinian people because when Israel banned the Palestine flag, Palestinians used the watermelon to represent themselves because it has the colors of their flag. The Keffiyeh pattern I chose borders the other patterns representing the history and ancient trading routes that would travel through Palestine, with this it shows the persistence that the Palestinian people have endured. Finally, to show the United States continued involvement and backing of Israel’s assault on Palestinian civilians for 15 months I incorporated a U.S. flag as my background.”
ARTIST BIO: Kaitlyn RASSI is a student at Summit Country Day School studying art under art teacher Carrie Barnett.