Sabra & Shatila Memorial Poster (1983)
Name/Title
Sabra & Shatila Memorial Poster (1983)Entry/Object ID
1983.S.24Scope and Content
This limited-edition poster features "Blossom," an artwork by Palestinian artist Kamal Boullata (1942–2019) that was commissioned for the first anniversary commemoration of the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Organized in Washington, D.C., the memorial honored the thousands of Palestinian refugees who were killed in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut, Lebanon, between September 16 and September 18, 1982. Between September 16 and September 18, 1982, members of the Lebanese Christian Phalange militia entered the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps while the Israeli military controlled the surrounding area during its invasion of Lebanon. Thousands of Palestinian refugees were killed, making the massacre one of the most devastating events in modern Palestinian history. Boullata was a Palestinian artist, art historian, and writer born in Jerusalem. Working primarily in acrylic and silkscreen, he developed an abstract visual language informed by geometry, Arabic calligraphy, memory, exile, and the fragmentation of Palestinian identity. Boullata's composition employs a restrained palette of red, black, and white. Against an empty landscape, a solitary figure extends an arm toward the horizon beneath a large circular form. Geometric patterns and simplified forms evoke themes of grief, loss, and remembrance, while the stark composition directs the viewer's attention to the isolation of the figure within the landscape. The poster reflects the important role that artists and community organizations played in documenting the massacre and preserving its memory within the Palestinian diaspora. This example was produced in 1983 for distribution by the Sabra-Shatila Commemoration Committee in Washington, D.C. The poster reads: "In memory of those who lost their lives one year ago in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut you are invited to participate in: A Memorial Ecumenical Service Sunday, September 18, 1983 4 P.M. New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, 13th & New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. A candlelight vigil will be held in Lafayette Park: Friday, September 16, 4–8 P.M. Saturday, September 17, 12–7:30 P.M. Sunday, September 18, 12–3:30 P.M. There will be a program of poetry and music on Saturday, September 17, 2–4:00 P.M. at the vigil. For further information call: 337-1644 or 547-3791 Sponsored by: Sabra-Shatila Commemoration Committee"Collection
Permanent CollectionCataloged By
Wafa GhnaimCategory
Posters