Snow White and The Madness of Truth
Jaradat was the subject of Snow White and The Madness of Truth, a controversial item of installation art by Swedish, Israeli-born composer and musician Dror Feiler, and his Swedish wife, artist Gunilla Sköld-Feiler.
The installation consisted of a long pool of water coloured blood red, upon which floated a small white boat named "Snövit" ("Snow White") carrying a portrait of Hanadi Jaradat, which were accompanied by text written on the nearby walls, and the sound of Bach's Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut (Cantata 199). That piece begins with the words, "My heart swims in blood / because the brood of my sins / in God's holy eyes / makes me into a monster".
The artwork became the centre of controversy when the Israeli ambassador to Sweden, Zvi Mazel, damaged the installation. After pushing some lightstands into the pool, causing a short-circuit and disabling the light, Mazel told Feiler that "This is not a work of art. This is an expression of hatred for the Israeli people. This has glorified suicide bombers". Further he said to the press that the piece constituted a "complete legitimization of genocide, the murder of innocent people, innocent civilians, under the guise of culture". Feiler rejected charges that their intention was to glorify suicide bombers and accused Mazel of "practicing censorship". He said the installation was made to "call attention to how weak people left alone can be capable of horrible things". Following the incident, Mazel was unrepentant, and said: "I was standing before an exhibit calling for genocide, praising the genocide of me, you, my brothers and sisters."
Read more about this topic: Hanadi Jaradat
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