Portraits of Israelis and Palestinians: For My Parents

During the summer of 2002, Seth Tobocman taught art to small children in a village just outside of Ramallah, Palestine. Upon returning to America he was faced with the difficult prospect of explaining to his parents, life-long Zionists, just what he was doing in Palestine. To help initiate the conversation he collected twenty pages from his sketchbook of the trip and sent it to them. The drawings created a starting point from which they could talk about their differing political and religious beliefs concerning the Middle East.

Portraits for my Parents, a collection of charcoal drawings with simple captions such as "This is a modern man", "These are Palestinians", "These are Israelis" strips away the historical, religious and political complications surrounding the situation in the Middle East. He takes no sides, simply depicting the faces, clothes, and postures of the inhabitants of this contested land.

In sharing these private drawings, he allows us all to participate in the dialogue he had with his parents. How can we stop killing each other? How can we learn to recognize each other’s humanity?