Refugee Refuge 2018-03-04T03:18:27+00:00

Project Description

Refugee Refuge

2003

Refugee Refuge

C-print face-mounted on gallery plexi, with floating box mount
Edition of 4, 50” by 33 1/4”

Contemporary Sculptures

From the Dog Warrior Series (From the Ledger Books of the Dog Warriors)

This scene is sadly typical of the life of the people of Gaza. Military incursions into the refugee camp are frequent and quite deadly. Gaza is the most densely populated place on earth. The Gaza Strip is only 28 miles long (on the coast of the Mediterranean) by 4 miles wide. 1.2 million Palestinians live on 70% of the land while illegal Israeli colonial settlements now occupy 30% of the land with 6,000 settlers. One third of the Palestinian population live in the refugee camps. The UN estimates in 15 years the Palestinian population will double. Israel seized Gaza from Egypt, West Bank from Jordan and the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967.

This digital image was enlarged, cropped and manipulated on an Apple G4 computer using Photoshop. Special thanks to Alaa Badarna. The original photo, and many more, was forwarded to Ringsby by the Palestinian TV cameraman for the purpose of educating the American public of the grim realities of Palestinian life through art.


The original “Ledger Books of the Dog Warriors” were made by Cheyenne Indian warriors who made contour line drawings in colored pencil to record their military history. Ringsby has loosely interpreted this tradition to draw a connection between the Palestinian and American Indian histories.

The Dog Warriors were known for their fearlessness in battle as well as for refusing to surrender to the US Cavalry. Ringsby would like to draw a further parallel between the infamous Sand Creek Massacre, Colorado Territory, 1864 and the Jenin Refugee Camp Massacre of 2002. In both cases refugee camps were massacred in retaliation for guerrilla warriors killing settlers illegally occupying traditional homelands.

Click to read 2004 Press Release.

Click to read Artist Statement.

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