Wa-ma Nasayna (We Have Not Forgotten): Palestinian Collective Memory and the Print Work of Abed Abdi

Palestinian art created within Israel’s 1948 borders possesses unique characteristics deriving from its being part of the visual culture of the Palestinian minority in Israel. In this artistic-national construct, artist, graphic designer, and printmaker Abed Abdi played a leading role as a consequence of his work over the decade between 1972 and 1982 as graphics editor of the publications of the Communist Party and its successor, the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, the Arabic language journal Al-Ittihad, and the Al-Jadid literary journal. The article focuses on the significant role of Abed Abdi in shaping the visual culture and collective memory of the Palestinian minority in Israel. “The art of print” is a term I employ to define the presentational space and practice of works of his art printed in relatively large editions in the press, books, booklets, posters, and postcards. By means of this space and practice, the reproduced works gradually establish the visual culture of their target audience. Hence, they are an autonomous alternative presentational space and practice of works of art that played a most important role in shaping the national culture of all sections of the Palestinian people.