Last month Jofre Oliveras and Dalal Mitwally, two artists in the cross-border art collective Persona, completed a 90 foot tall mural titled The Column on a residential building in Amman, the capital city of Jordan. Their towering collaboration adds a subtle dash of additional color to the glowing beige city per the efforts of local mural organizer BALADK in collaboration with Boston-based curators Street Art United States and Sara Mraish Demeter. The slight controversy that came about during this mural’s creation raises topical questions about free expression and the artist’s role in liberating new lands, relevant regarding this particular artwork that stands as a beacon of hope for the historic Middle Eastern metropolis.
The Column depicts one Jordanian man carrying the capital of a stone column from antiquity over his head. According to a statement from the artists themselves, this regal hunk of stone hails from the ancient rock-cut city of Petra, a global landmark situated in Jordan, just over 230 kilometers from Amman. Below the relic, the subject of this painting wears entirely modern clothes, from nondescript jeans to a cheerful button up. Only his traditional headwear, the hatta, serves as an identifying force and liminal space between these symbols of the past and future. At present, Middle Eastern headwear remains one of the most traditional, divisive, and visible features of this culture currently at the center of so many consequential conversations.
Thus, the hatta became a focal point of debate between the artists and authorities as work on The Column progressed. At the start, Oliveras submitted a rough sketch of Persona’s plans for the facade, easily approved by the curators and local powers that be. However, “once painting was underway, the duo began painting a more fragile figure carrying this culturally loaded artifact,” the project’s press release explains. “While this might add emphasis to the depicted feat of carrying such a stone, officials intervened and asked the duo to paint a more robust figure, perhaps for a more palatable appearance.”
Persona relented, maybe seeing the benefit of providing a more motivational message to the inhabitants of this city, the people who would live with their artwork long after painting completed. However, local officials then came back again to ask for a change in the hatta’s color, which the duo had started painting in a red and white pattern. “The colors [of the hatta] are a loaded topic,” the press release continues. “To some people, a red and white hatta can even be associated with Palestinian Marxists, a sore spot for some parties.” Despite putting up some pushback, Persona relented once again, painting the hatta white for this mural’s final iteration, as firmly requested by the powers that be.
“This mural was censored,” Oliveras wrote in an Instagram caption about the conflict last month. There is a delicate balance between condescension and assistance from his position here as a Spanish-based foreign public artist painting to support free expression in Jordan. It feels like the discord between voices I hear even in here in New York City, where European male artists will wax poetic ad nauseum about the oppression of Muslim women wearing the hijab while I know several actual Muslim women settled in Western countries who wear the hijab by choice, because it makes them feel good. I’m more inclined to believe the latter. Before easily submitting to Oliveras’ outrage, the viewer must skirt Orientalism by examining the matter at hand from all sides.
Oliveras’ painting partner, Dalal Mitwally, is actually based in Amman. Elaborating on their team member’s sentiments, Mitwally explained that “So much outrage was caused from only certain colours and paint strokes. It highlighted the fear of artistic expression and its power to even slightly loosen the grip of control that the authority has. This cultural regulation ends up creating a linear and uncontested image of the culture in Jordan. A shortsighted tribal, male dominated and conservative culture.” There it is, straight from an informed source.
Jordan has not escaped the region’s volatility–the US Government’s travel website warns against perilous travel to particular regions, and the country’s economy is still classified as emerging. However, not only are the roots of these difficulties deep and complex, they’re also attributable to the same global powers that quietly decry moral inferiority, focusing on stereotypes that rob others from learning about Jordan’s real treasures. Even the most advanced nations on this planet can’t boast a historic place like Petra, or a heartfelt collection of artwork like what’s taking shape thanks to the excellent curation in Amman. The human pillar of strength pictured The Column stands firm and hopeful in homage to this truth, as Jordan fights for its own future stone by stone and column by column. Even when tumultuous, candid conversation serves a crucial salve. At its best, public art avidly supports just this.
