Francis Alÿs - The Green Line

Using green paint, Alÿs walked along the armistice border, known as ‘The Green Line’. The border was created by Israeli general Moshe Dayan after Israel’s War of Independence, an armistice line essentially dividing Jerusalem in half: Israel got the western side, Arabs got the east. This remained the border until the Six Day War in 1967 after which Israel occupied Palestinian-inhabited territories east of the line. It gave an artist’s askance view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and achieved that rare artistic feat: chastising the political status quo without becoming either cynical or simplistic. Read more →