Banksy and Pictures On Walls went to Bethlehem on the West Bank to arrange the 2007 edition of Santa’s Ghetto in an empty shop on Manger Square.
Pictures on Walls published the following statement:
“Bethlehem is one of the most contentious places on earth.
Perched at the edge of the Judaen desert at the intersection of Europe, Asia and Africa in the state of Palestine it was governed by the British following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. After World War II the United Nations voted to partition the region into two states – one Jewish, one Arab and there’s been fighting ever since.
It’s obviously not the job of a loose collection of idiot doodlers to tell you what’s right or wrong about this situation, so you’re advised to do further reading yourself (this month’s National Geographic has an excellent article all about Bethlehem).
We would like to make it very clear Santa’s Ghetto is not allied to ANY race, creed, religion, political organization or lobby group. As an organisation the only thing we’ll say on behalf of our artists is that we don’t speak on behalf of our artists. This show simply offers the ink-stained hand of friendship to ordinary people in an extraordinary situation.
Every shekel made in the store will be used on local projects for children and young people. Not one cent will go to any political groups, governmental institutions or, in fact, any grown-ups at all.
Salaam.“
Source: http://www.santasghetto.com
Banksy contributed with quite a few pieces, among them some very rare canvases, among them The ‘Peace Dove with Bulletproof Vest’ and ‘Stop and Search’, as can be seen in the photo below of the store front on Manger Square:
The Watchtower collaborations
The watchtowers were an interesting collaboration at Santa’s Ghetto 2007. Banksy created a limited edition of 15, while invited artists decorated unique towers – some sources say at least 15 unique towers were made by different artists. The late Tawfiq Salsaa, an accomplished olive wood carver from Bethlehem, appears to have sculpted the original one.
Here are a few of the unique towers. From left to right: Peter Kennard, Blu, Kelsey Brooks (2 x Hope) and Tawfiq Salsaa:
Photos: Bonhams
Another intriguing piece was the monumental olive wood sculpture of the Old Town in Jerusalem, a collaboration by Banksy and the late Tawfiq Salsaa. Two years later, the same Old Jerusalem model appeared at Banksy vs Bristol Museum:
Jerusalem Old Town by Tawfiq Salsaa and Banksy. Photographed at Walled Off Hotel in 2022. Photo R.A.
List of artists at Santa’s Ghetto 07:
3D
Abdul Rohman Elmzyen
Adam Koukoudakis
Aiko
Ayed Arafah
Banksy
Bast
Ben Turnbull
Blu
Conor Harrington
Eine
Erica il Cane
Faile
Gee Vaucher
James Cauty
Jonathan Yeo
Karim Dabbah
Kelsey Brookes
Lucy McLauchlan
Mark Jenkins
Antony Micallef
Paul Insect
Sir Peter Blake
Peter Kennard
Kat Phillips
Ron English
Sam 3
Sickboy
Souleiman Mansour
Swoon
Yousef Katalo
Source: http://www.santasghetto.com
Street art pieces from December 2007 in Bethlehem
On the same journey to the Bethlehem area, Banksy painted five stencils, among them the Armoured peace dove.
As reported by CNN on 3 December 2007:
By Brie Schwartz
(CNN) — British graffiti artist Banksy has launched an art exhibition in Bethlehem that he hopes will focus attention on the poverty of the West Bank and draw tourists to the traditional birthplace of Christianity.
A Palestinian man walks by Banksy’s camel, painted on the security barrier near Bethlehem.
As part of the project, Banksy has adorned the controversial security barrier around the West Bank town with spray paint and plaster works of art in a comment on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Israel says the purpose of the barrier is to prevent terrorist attacks being launched from the West Bank. Palestinian leaders however say the barrier amounts to an illegitimate land grab by Israelis, setting unilateral borders for an eventual Palestinian state.
The new exhibition, called “Santa’s Ghetto Bethlehem 2007,” is a collaboration by artists who say they are trying to revitalize tourism to Bethlehem and “offer the ink-stained hand of friendship to ordinary people in an extraordinary situation.”
Banksy’s sketches on the security barrier flow towards Manger Square, across from the Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus was born. His images include a dove wearing a bullet-proof vest, a young girl in a frilly pink dress frisking a soldier and a donkey being checked for its identity papers.
According to the Web site for Santa’s Ghetto, Banksy thought he was making an ironic commentary with the donkey picture, but locals told him the animals are frequently asked for ID papers. Santa’s Ghetto typically operates during the month of December out of a small store on Oxford Street in London, where underground artists showcase their work.
Banksy, who started the initiative six years ago, says: “I felt the spirit of Christmas was being lost. It was becoming increasingly uncommercialized and more and more to do with religion, so we decided to open our own shop and sell pointless stuff you didn’t need.”
His exhibition in Bethlehem is rife with the same satirical sentiments. Beyond the barrier graffiti, the work of Santa’s Ghetto’s diverse artists spread across three floors of a building in Manger Square.
Inside, examples include a painting by Palestinian artist Suleiman Mansour in which a man carries the city of Jerusalem on his back, and London artist Peter Kennard’s montage of dollar bills printed on pages from the Jerusalem Post. Proceeds from Santa’s Ghetto sales go to charity.
Little is known about Banksy other than that he was born in Bristol, western England. Collections of his original work, which attract the likes of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, have sold for more than $1 million (almost £500,000).
Banksy’s previous political statements have included hanging a picture of a cave man pushing a shopping cart in the British Museum and placing a doll of a Guantanamo Bay detainee in Disneyland. The doll was removed, but the “primitive” portrait became a part of the British Museum’s permanent collection.
Tourism — even in the traditional Christmas peak season — has been hard hit in recent years with Israeli checkpoints keeping most of the local Palestinians in and all but the most determined tourists out. As a result levels of unemployment are high.
Speaking through the Web site, Banksy says tourists need not fear visiting the West Bank. “It would do good if more people came to see the situation here for themselves.
“If it is safe enough for a bunch of sissy artists then it’s safe enough for anyone.”
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/12/03/banksy.bethlehem/
Banksy unofficial 