Watermelon flag by Khaled Hourani, to wave untill liberation
— part of Disarming Design from Palestine
Disarming Design from Palestine is an independent non-profit organisation that operates as a design label and learning platform. Their mission is to foster thought-provoking design from Palestine by developing and distributing useful products that share poetic and political statements. Often rooted in experiences from everyday life in occupied Palestine, the items serve as cultural artefacts that catalyse conversations.
The project is co-founded by researcher Annelys de Vet and is one of the case-studies of her PhD. She initiated the project together with artist Khaled Hourani, who is also the artist behind the watermelon-flag. It is his flag that the project distributes for those who want to express their solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for a life in dignity, justice and freedom.
About the flag:
Following the 1967 Six-Day War, the Israeli military forces unilaterally criminalised the flag of Palestine — and Palestinians were forbidden to use its colours of white, red, green and black in imagery and art. In 1980, Israeli forces arrested three artists at a gallery in Ramallah for violating this military order. To which artist Issam Badr responded: “Well if I paint a flower with these colours, what will you do?” And the officer responded: “It would be confiscated. Even if you do a watermelon it will be confiscated.” Then actually, the watermelon became a symbol of Palestinian resistance.
After the Oslo accords in 1993, the order was not completely revoked, neither has the Israeli occupation of Palestine ended. Artist Khaled Hourani borrowed from this officer the idea for the ‘Watermelon flag’ to commemorate the legacy of resistance to the prohibition of the Palestinian flag. Hourani originally made the design for the Subjective Atlas of Palestine in 2007, and afterwards it waved at many exhibitions worldwide. During the 2021 Palestinian uprisings, the flag has been produced as an effective alternative flag, to wave until the occupation ends.
During the world wide protests against the current genocidal war the watermelon is an international symbol for Palestinian resistance. The flag waved at demonstrations, on the facade of countless cultural institutions, and now here at SLARG, to firmly express solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for liberation, self-determination and dignity. #ceasefirenow #endtheoccupation #BDS
More: https://disarmingdesign.com/product/watermelon-flag/