Susanne Khalil Yusef 

Yusef’s water paradise

Two weeks before the conflict in the Gaza Strip escalated in early October, this work went into production. The softly tufted tapestry addresses a highly topical issue. At first glance, Susanne Khalil Yusef’s brightly coloured work seems light and playful, but a second look reveals the suffering of Palestinians who are forced to flee. The design was initially intended as a public play fountain in Arnhem, surrounded by palm trees and plastic chairs. When that project fell through, it was turned into a tufted fabric while retaining its tactility and theme.

The tapestry is based on a child’s drawing. It shows a rubber dinghy with three children shooting playfully at each other with water pistols. It looks innocent enough, but the boat is leaking, and jets of water shoot into the air around them. The three children are so-called Handalas: young refugees who were drawn in this style in the 1970s by a Palestinian political cartoonist. The tapestry has an irregular outline, which makes it look as if some details are emerging from the tapestry. The thick passementerie cord around the edge of the boat adds a sculptural dimension. Yusef’s water paradise was first shown in Amsterdam in the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten’s graduation exhibition. It is currently part of the ‘Secrets of making #4’ exhibition in the TextielMuseum.

Photos amongst others by Josefina Eikenaar commissioned by TextielMuseum