5.20.2005

Sleeping with the Enemy: Gay Israeli artists Gil and Moti are looking to fall in love with an Arab man. In an installation called "Sleeping with the Enemy," they've set up a double bed in a New York gallery that has three pillows—one of which remains unused. They've been courting an Arab man to join them since 2002, and the exhibition chronicles the effort through watercolors they've painted of interested men, photos, and email exchanges. Gil and Moti will be living in the gallery, on view during open hours, til June 5.

"We felt frustrated with the political situation in the Middle East," said Gil, who was married to Moti on the Queen's Balcony in Rotterdam. "As Israelis, we grew up with Arabs but we were encouraged by the education system to hate and abuse them so we thought we must do something about it. So we decided to fall in love with one of them."

It puts a twist on an idea explored earlier by Palestinian artist Emily Jacir, who created her Sexy Semite series from 2000 to 2002. An excerpt from my Adbusters piece on her work:
In her subversive Sexy Semite (2000-2002), she peppered the Village Voice with personal ads for Palestinians looking to settle down in Israel. One asks "Do you love milk & honey? I'm ready to start a big family in Israel. Still have house keys." Another, more pointed, reads: "You stole the land. May as well take the women! Redhead Palestinian ready to be colonized by your army."

The ads slyly suggest a way around an irreconcilable issue in the Middle East peace process: by marrying Israelis, Palestinians can gain citizenship and thus sidestep calls for the "right of return" (an unfulfilled provision of UN Resolution 194 that promises Palestinian refugees the chance to return home). But, given their placement in the love-wanted section instead of world news, the ads seem less about policy than the personal. Individual lives—people seeking love, a sense of home, the kind of daily routine you and I enjoy—are profoundly impacted by the occupation. And perhaps it's through individual relationships that the conflict can ease. As one ad punned: "Palestinian Male working in a difficult occupation. I'm looking for a Jewish Beauty. Only you can help me find my way Home."

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