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Aisha Mershani Artist Talk
January 17 @ 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Please join us on Wednesday, January 17, 7-9pm pm for an artist talk with Aisha Mershani in conjunction with their exhibition La La Lil Jidar: 20 Years Behind the Apartheid Wall in Palestine, currently on view at Studio 34.
Aisha Mershani’s (they/them) photography focuses on the Israel Apartheid Wall, visually exposing the realities on the ground in Palestine, reframing the source of violence. For nearly 20 years Mershani has photographed military checkpoints, popular demonstrations, house demolitions, destroyed villages, and the daily lives of Palestinians living under the violence of the Israeli Apartheid. Most recently, in 2022, Mershani returned to the Occupied West
Bank, finding countless people that were photographed in 2004/2005 to photograph them again, showing time behind the Wall.
Mershani’s photographs have been exhibited in numerous galleries, multiple publications, as well as many internet news sites over the years to further the awareness of the ongoing situation on the ground in Palestine. They are also one of the artists in the reference book, “Encyclopedia of Arab American Artists”.
Aisha Mershani was born in Las Vegas, Nevada to an American Jewish mother and a Moroccan Muslim father. Mershani holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Redlands in California, and a Master’s and a Ph.D. degree from the UNESCO program in Peace, Development Studies, and Conflict Transformation at the Universitat Jaume I in Castellón de la Plana, Spain.
Their work comes from a place of concern about the injustices occurring in the Middle East, and a commitment to artistically expose these injustices and educate those outside of the region. For Mershani it is vital to view Palestine/Israel beyond US mainstream news framing. The expression of everyday life is the primary objective of their documentary photographic work.
amershani.com
About Studio34
Accessibility note: there is a steep flight of stairs leading up to our space.
STORY
Since 2008, Studio 34 has cultivated a community; it has offered affordable yoga classes, workshops, and art shows for those who seek healing, as well as space for wellness practitioners to provide various forms of therapy, from acupuncture to massage to psychotherapy & more.
In early 2018, community members Adrienne Dolberry and Kari Thompson took over as owners and remain committed to Studio 34 being a space of healing, creativity, and inclusivity for the West Philadelphia community and beyond.
MISSION
Studio 34 is more than a physical space.
We are an energy created by all those that enter and practice here.
This energetic space respects and honors all bodies – encouraging EveryBody/everyone to breathe and move in our healing-centered studio.
Using self-care and expression through yoga, movement, art and other healing modalities – we allow ourselves to reconnect, realign and reclaim our lives as individuals.
We believe that individual self-care directly sustains and supports our community.
We are united together in dialogue, creativity, fun, empowerment and holistic well-being.
