Maps of Memory by Fouad Agbaria – Books

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Maps of Memory by Fouad Agbaria

Fouad Agbaria, an alumnus of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and holder of a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Haifa, was born in Musmus village, whence he derived the inspiration of his childhood world. Perennially he loved to head into nature, smell the moist land after rainfall, lie on the ground in the spring, and gaze upward at clouds sailing across the blue sky. He says: “Everything was open, memories of being a boy in Musmus.”

Engraved in Agbaria’s childhood landscape are fields of wheat and herbs – hyssop or gundelia – the beauty and aromas that have accompanied him all his life. “The hilly area between Musmus and Umm el-Fahem is full of stone niches,” he relates. “When I was a kid I’d head out with Grandfather’s sheep or pick some hyssop or gundelia with my friends from the village, and while hiking in the hills I’d bake a potato in a niche that I’d found on the way.”

Fouad Agbaria weaves his biography into his art. His work features Islamic, Palestinian, and Oriental cultural, architectural, and aesthetic motifs – forming a discourse of identities that overlaps the reality of his intimate surroundings and of the wide world. The phenomenon of intercultural spillover underlies his work. 

In his panoramic landscapes, Agbaria takes us into the mountains, valleys, and particularly the faraway fields where he used to hike until they swallowed him up. In these works, yellow dominates and overshadows all other colors. The artist uses free brushstrokes and an etching technique that amplifies the experience of contemplating the works.