Huda Salha
These Are Not the Keys
Sculpture
2020
Bronze, Aluminium, Iron
Dimensions Variable
It is only normal for such a powerful symbol to emerge again and again in Palestinian oral histories, literature and artwork. It comes as an instinct for someone who grew up witnessing such keys and hearing narratives that are filled with bitterness, hope, and determination about what the keys represent. Embedded in my memory and in the Palestinian collective memory, the key cannot be considered overused or appropriated when used by any Palestinian artist. The pieces created for my thesis exhibition stand as a memorial to honour and perpetuate the legacy of the Palestinian people, their lands, and the places that have been lost since 1948 and onward.
“Unlike other objects that people leave behind in similar situations, the key is the object that Palestinians carried with them when they locked their doors for the last time before they left Palestine. It is a symbol encapsulating everything left behind. The keys to Palestinians’ pre-Nakba houses are kept in the hope of returning there one day. Keys are all that is left of their homes and memories, but also, along with their land deeds, they are a proof of belonging, of ownership and of their legal rights in Palestine. They are mnemonic devices carrying emotional as well as legal value. Consequently, keys are dominant in the Palestinian collective memory. They are a national symbol of the Right of Return.”
Work by
Huda Salha
Interdisciplinary
“After the Last Frontiers: My work addresses issues of identity, displacement, and memory. Identity and memory are interwoven with place through political and cultural boundaries. As a descendant of a...” [More]