Steve Sabella

Steve Sabella" by Nadia Johanne Kabalan (2014) Steve Sabella ( ), born (May 19, 1975) in Jerusalem , is a Berlin based Palestinian artist who uses photography and photographic installation as his principle modes of expression.¹ The first monograph of the artist's work Steve Sabella - Photography 1997-2014 was published by Hatje Cantz in collaboration with the Akademie der Künste in Berlin in 2014. It is authored by Hubertus von Amelunxen and the foreword is written by Kamal Boullata . Archaeology of the Future was also published in 2014 by Maretti Editore as part of his retrospective solo exhibition at the International Center for Photography Scavi Scaligeri. Sabella has published essays about art and the art market in journals, catalogues and books, including "Hostage" in From Galilee to the Negev by Stephen Shore in 2014. From the late 1990s through 2007 Sabella was based in Jerusalem and exhibited internationally as well as extensively throughout Palestine, including eleven solo shows. He was one of the commissioned artists for the Istanbul Collection donated to the Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art in Sarajevo . In 2009 he was one of the commissioned artists for the inauguration of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha , where he presented the installation Settlement–– Six Israelis & One Palestinian . His work was included in the touring exhibition Keep Your Eye on the Wall including at Les Rencontres d'Arles Photographie , Edition 2013. In 2014 he participated in the FotoFest Biennial exhibition View from Inside and he was commissioned by the Bahrain National Museum , where he presented Sinopia as part of the touring exhibition Recreational Purpose . He was granted the Ellen Auerbach Award in 2008 by the Akademie der Künste (Academy of the Arts) in Berlin, shortlisted and exhibited for the Independent Photographers Terry O'Neil Award in 2008, and won the A. His work is held in museum collections including the British Museum in London, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha and Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art in Sarajevo; as well as in several public and private collections. In the Darkroom with Steve Sabella , a short documentary film featuring Sabella and his work, by Nadia Johanne Kabalan was selected for the 2014 Al Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival and the 2015 Berlin Independent Film Festival. Ikono TV made three short films on Sabella's work, featured him as Artist of the Month in January 2013, and Artist of the Month on IkonoMENASA in May 2011. In 2007 Eyes Infinite Films produced two documentaries Jerusalem in Exile and Kan Yama Kan on his series of the same titles. Sabella is vocal about the social and political constructs that limit individual perceptions of freedom and agency. In his 2012 TEDx talk "Dare to Question My Name or Where I Come From", he told the story of his kidnapping in Gaza in 2005 that influenced his perception of identity and labels. During the war on Gaza in 2014 , he released the statement of empowerment "A Declaration of Independence" which stated, "From this day onward, I declare that I am a citizen of planet earth and beyond. I am from everywhere and nowhere. I represent myself and my views only. I am not an ambassador of any country, not even the one of my birth, Palestine. I have uprooted myself and choose to plant my roots in the air, to always remain in transition.² International Center for Photography Scavi Scaligeri . Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art . Ministry of Culture - Kingdom of Bahrain .³