Ashraf Fawakhry

Ashraf Fawakhry was born in the village of Mazraa in 1974, and currently lives and works in Haifa. He is a Palestinian artist and designer who owns a graphic design and branding studio, and is also a lecturer in design at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. His works are exhibited in many places in Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and around the world. For many years, the image of the donkey has accompanied Poaheri's works. He returns and has a stubborn dialogue with his donkey. This is not a specific donkey, but a schematic donkey, which was the image of Poakhri's personal portrait. The image appears in countless different situations: ironic, funny, political, painful, critical. Fawakhry felt a moral obligation to engage in art, as a courageous statement of position in the face of the complex reality on this earth. In his unique way, Fawakhry plays with charged imagery, using ironic humor, multifaceted language, aesthetic formal seduction, and comfortable and sometimes seductive coloration. At the same time, Fuaheri teaches us a lesson in the existence of the "other" – the Arab. The one who does not give up his opinions and beliefs within a space of shared existence. Fawakhry's donkey is the shadow of a donkey: flat, looks negative, expresses no emotions, does not change its movements. It is timeless, iconic, universal. Fawakhry incorporates the image of the donkey into almost every painting/photography/embroidery/object he creates. Fawakhry creates in a variety of mediums: print, painting, sculpture, performance, video, embroidery, and more.