Raeda Saadeh Discusses Performance Art, Occupation, and Palestinian Identity in Canvas Interview

Jerusalem-based Palestinian artist Raeda Saadeh explores occupation as both physical and mental in her work, emphasizing a female perspective. She stages herself in series like Great Masters, reclaiming representations of the female body while connecting to Palestinian history. In Diana, she references a village near Jerusalem where Palestinians face land restrictions; in The Milkmaid, she depicts Al-Burj, a village destroyed in 1948. For her fairy tale series, she photographed Little Red Riding Hood in Tel Aviv's financial district, a place normally off-limits to Palestinians, carrying Jerusalem cookies. Saadeh began using her body in 1998 as an art student when a teacher called her work a performance. Her practice includes photography, video, and live performance, with recent work Sea (2024) shown in Amman featuring her hung from a fishing hook. She emphasizes authenticity, as in Crossroads where cement painfully squeezed her leg. Living with Israeli citizenship, she navigates political realities, using humor to address the separation wall. Soldiers once challenged her while photographing on the Jerusalem side. Since the war on Gaza, maintaining hope remains crucial, especially for her daughter and nieces. The interview originally appeared in Canvas 119: Body Language.