Acrylic, collaged tracing paper and fabric, wood on recycled material
In 1920, The Commercial Printing Press was opened in West Jerusalem, Palestine by my great grandfather Tewfic Habesch. Whether he knew it or not, he had started a generational legacy that continued through my grandmother, great aunts and uncles, and then my uncle Tewfic Habesch, keeping the business alive for 100 years. During the 1948 war, the printing press and machinery were stolen by occupation forces (Nasir Khoury, 135), which pushed him to simply reopen in East Jerusalem. Although I had never met him, his strength to turn this devastation into fuel for his fire tells me he knew the legacy he would leave behind.
My piece “The Commercial Press” is a mixed media artwork made up of collaged tracing paper, fabric, acrylic paint, and wood. It emulates the business’ sign of the original printing press in West Jerusalem and pulls inspiration from other signs I spotted around Jerusalem during my trip in 2018. I believe Arabic text is innately beautiful with its continuous curves and often intriguing composition. This juxtaposition of delicate text and bright plastic colors on business signs of today inspired the colors in “The Commercial Press”.
The background of the piece is comprised of components of the map of Jerusalem my great grandfather designed and distributed through the press. “Jerusalem Upon Your Palm” it reads before opening it up to the streets of the city. This document was spread widely amongst the people of Jerusalem and I felt that knowledge in every move I made while completing this artwork. My family is Jerusalem. Printed on mesh fabric and adhered onto the center of the piece is my family, Tewfic and Jamileh Habesch with their children Celeste, Colette, Beatrice, Laurice, Issa, and Yvette (my grandmother). After the passing of my great grandfather, Issa took over the press with his siblings. It was then passed down to his son Tewfic who ran the business until it shut down in 2020. In that time, amongst many other publications, The Commercial Press printed the first university diploma in Palestine for Birzeit University in 1976 (Nasir Khoury, 133). My family is woven in the fabric of me, of Palestinian education, and of Jerusalem.
Featured in “Unitatem” group show in Atlanta, GA. March 2025.