As Curator of the Museum of the Palestinian People, my mission is to make Palestinian arts and culture more visible and legible to the world, and to situate them within the global discourse of art history. To this end, I have developed the Object Highlights essay series to offer critical analysis and contextualization of Palestinian artistic production, cultural identity, and material practices— within Palestine, across the refugee camps, and in diaspora. Each essay centers on a single work of art either created by a Palestinian artist or addressing the Palestinian experience, providing an interpretation of its aesthetic, cultural, and historical significance. All objects featured in this series are drawn from the permanent collection of the Museum of the Palestinian People in Washington, DC.
To learn more about the museum’s collections and ongoing research, please visit: https://mpp-dc.org/learn/. Please cite this essay if you reference or quote it in your writing, materials, and research.
Wafa Ghnaim, "Object Highlight: The Power of Memory in Wesley Clark’s "Resolute,” The Tatreez Institute (blog), February, 14, 2025, https://www.tatreezandtea.com/tatreezing/2025/3/object-highlight-the-power-of-memory-in-wesley-clarks-resolute.
Wesley Clark, an artist from Washington, D.C., created "Resolute" by merging the vintage with the contemporary, envisioning both the future of Palestine and the enduring spirit of the resistance. In 2021, this work was featured in "Freedom is One", an exhibition exploring themes of solidarity between Black Americans and Palestinians.
Clark explains, “I invent the object’s life and history. The materials are selected as a means to tell the story… material clues support a fictitious narrative prompting the viewer to work through their own invented narrative.” In “Resolute”, Clark urges us to seek multiple perspectives and uncover truth within our shared global memory—one that resists the violence of erasure and challenges colonialist narratives.
Constructed from plywood, paint, and industrial metals, Clark’s artwork depicts a map of historic Palestine, overlaid with the colors of the Palestinian flag—red, black, white, and green. The red central triangle of the flag intersects with the occupied Gaza Strip, embedded with rusted nails, drawing attention to the people of Gaza and the violence they have endured—and continue to face. This piece remains profoundly relevant today as we confront the colonialist narrative perpetuated online and in the media, which seeks to rewrite history and erase indigenous culture, heritage, and life from the land.
If an object can be invented and interpreted, the artist asks us—what else can be? And how can we intervene before it is too late?
Artwork Details:
Title: “Resolute”
Artist: Wesley Clark
đź–Ľ Object No. 2021.2091
đź“Ź 15x52 inches, Mixed Media on Plywood
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