Capturing Arab and Israeli identities

Bell Gallery to present works by American photojournalist David H. Wells

Neighbors: Relations Between Arabs and Jews in Israel will be on view in the List Art Center Foyer at Brown University March 29 through April 15, 1997. The exhibition includes works by American photojournalist David H. Wells and is presented in conjunction with a conference, "Israeli and Palestinian Identities in History, Literature and the Arts" (April 13-15).

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University will present Neighbors: Relations Between Arabs and Jews in Israel from March 29 through April 15, 1997. The exhibition, on view in the foyer of the List Art Center, includes works by American photojournalist David H. Wells and is mounted in conjunction with "Israeli and Palestinian Identities in History, Literature and the Arts," a conference sponsored by the Thomas J. Watson Jr. Institute for International Studies, to be presented April 13-15 at Brown.

For more than a decade, David Wells has worked in the Middle East, producing numerous photo-essays in Israel as well as photographing the "intifada" (Palestinian uprising) in 1988. His current work focuses on the evolving relationship between Arabs and Jews, which he sees as encompassing a spectrum of experiences ranging from conflict to coexistence to cooperation. "Some of the encounters I have photographed have been violent while others have been cool and indifferent. Only by photographing the entire range of encounters between Arabs and Jews can I fully explore their relationship, a relationship that is at one turn angry and at another caring."

The earliest works in the exhibition, created in black and white, picture ordinary interactions between Jews and Arabs. More recent work, done in color after the start of the peace process, explore daily life and the struggle for peace, particularly among the Palestinians. This series is supported in part by a MacArthur Foundation fellowship.

For further information contact the Brown News Bureau at 401/863-2476. The Bell Gallery is located in the List Art Center, 64 College Street, Providence. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 11 to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1 to 4.