Name/Title
"Folk Dancers from Bethlehem" (1980-1990s)Entry/Object ID
2024.11.01Tags
2024, Pop-up ExhibitionDescription
This photograph features a woman in a Bethlehem thobe (dress) wearing a Bedouin coined headdress, and obscure non-regionally specific shawl. The man is dressed in a traditional Palestinian's male ensemble, both of which are reminiscent of early 20th century Palestinian styles. This photograph is experimental in approach by Bandak, who opted for portraits of women wearing traditional dress in scenes that included historic sites and ancient ruins. In this particular portrait the ghostly presence of the folk dancers in overlaid onto the natural landscape causes us to wonder, who and what are the dancers looking at? Or, are they looking towards the future?
About the artist: Lillian “Lily” I. Bandak was born on July 31, 1948 in Amman, Jordan into a Palestinian family from Bethlehem. In the 1960’s, Lily immigrated to the US with her family where they settled in Newark, Delaware. Lily was a gifted artist and world-class photographer with incredible tenacity to pursue her passion despite the adversity she faced. Lily focused her camera’s lens on beautiful cultural and historically relevant subjects. She captured prominent Arab leaders and historical and cultural sites that no longer exist today. In the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter added a photograph by Lily to the permanent exhibition at the White House, becoming the first and only Palestinian artist to be featured in the collection.
In 1983, at the height of her career, Lily was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. In 2015, Lily reflected on the onset of the diagnosis through a press interview with "Ability Magazine" (2015). Preceding her diagnosis, she received an assignment from Newsweek to photograph the horrors of the Sabra & Shatila Massacre (1982). Lily shares, "And I covered it. That’s when I got sick. That’s when [Multiple Sclerosis] started. My nerves just couldn’t take it. I’m not that kind of photographer. I do art photography."
Lily eventually required the use of a wheelchair, and although her hands no longer could control a camera the same way, Lily refused to abandon her passion for photography. She continued pursuing her life’s work through the use of a wheelchair with assistive technology—this time with a new perspective. Lily passed away, leaving a legacy of resilience, artistry and kindness on September 11, 2021.