b. 1962, East Jerusalem, Palestine, lives in Jerusalem
Jack Persekian is a Palestinian artist and curator from Jerusalem. Moroccan Neighborhood , part of the artist’s recent project “Past Tense,” is a photograph created through the process of overlaying...
Jack Persekian is a Palestinian artist and curator from Jerusalem. Moroccan Neighborhood, part of the artist’s recent project “Past Tense,” is a photograph created through the process of overlaying present-day images with historical photographs taken in the same location. Through this method, Persekian emulates archeologists excavating layers of history in order to study transformations in urban landscape. In a place where millions gather every year, the Wailing Wall remains a site of pilgrimage amidst the city’s urban growth. Jerusalem has been reconfigured by and for new occupiers, a notion mirrored in this reconstructed image that creates a novel narrative surrounding a centuries old historic site.
Persekian is the founder and director of Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art and Gallery Anadiel. Previously, he held the position of Director and Head Curator of the Palestinian Museum(2012–2015); Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation (2009–2011); Artistic Director of the Sharjah Biennial (2007–2011); Head Curator of the Sharjah Biennial (2004–2007); Founder and Artistic Director of The Jerusalem Show(2007–present), and Qalandiya International (2012-2014). He has exhibited widely at major institutions including ICA, London; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; MoMA, New York City; Rote Fabrik, Zurich; and Darat Al Funun, Amman. Persekian is recipient of the Order of Culture, Science and Arts, from the State of Palestine (2016).