Aliyah Market

Dimensions: 110 x 236 x 280 Inches
Medium: fluorescent fixture, a home refrigerator, air-conditioning, plastic tables, Coca-Cola refrigerator, magnets, fabric, tiles, wood, speakers

In the work Aliyah Market, I opened an Eritrean refugee bar on a central Tel Aviv street to expand the occurrence and visibility of these refugee bars in the Tel Aviv landscape. I wanted to invite recognition of these bars as a necessary place of asylum and safety for Eritreans who live with hostility from Israeli citizens. One of my main acts in this project was the relocation of the bar from its familiar area in the refugee camp to an uptown neighborhood where it would otherwise be considered foreign and therefore rejected.