Salon 54: Palestine in Print: Publishing & Archiving – Tools for Resistance

Prompted by artists’ responses to the genocide in Gaza, Palestine in Print examines the critical role of print media in protecting and archiving endangered voices, histories, and traditions. Artists Ren Allathkani and Kate Laster, designer Dina Benbrahim, publisher Nicole Kaack, and archivist Molly Fair will present recent and historic publications that center communities allied with Palestinian liberation: Passport of Witness (2024); a zine by California Jewish Artists for Palestine (2024); a special issue of the Moroccan journal Souffles (1969); Prints for Palestine (2024); and the Booklyn Portfolio (2014) and zines by Librarians and Archivists with Palestine. While employing distinct strategies and materials, each of these projects emphasizes that publishing can itself be an act of resistance. A moderated dialogue will explore the role of printed matter as a tool to preserve communal memory amid censorship, while also attending to the key roles of archivists and librarians in engaging wider networks.

Audience Q&A will follow.

Ren Allathkani is a multidisciplinary Palestinian American artist, currently calling Elk Grove, California home. Allathkani works to understand her rich cultural heritage through the artistic journey. Raised between the U.S. and Jordan, her family hails from Jaffa and Nablus, regions steeped in history and tradition. Ren’s journey in art explores the topics of place, identity, heritage, and spirituality. Allathkani holds a BA in Art Studio from UC Davis and currently practices at Verge, a space where she delves deep into the art of Palestinian tatreez and works with natural materials. Ren’s art is not just a form of expression, but a means of reclaiming her lost roots and connecting with her spirituality and Palestinian heritage.

Molly Fair is an artist and archivist whose practice explores the possibilities of radical social transformation. She is a member of Librarians and Archivists with Palestine, a network of information and memory workers in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for liberation. She is also a member of Justseeds Artists' Cooperative, a collective of artists creating work to support social justice movements, and a co-founder of Interference Archive, an archive and social center documenting history from below.

Nicole Kaack is co-editor of prompt:, a collaborative artist publication that recently released Prints for Palestine, a fundraiser series of prints in support of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). She is also an independent writer, editor, and curator with a background in performance production and archives.

Kate Laster is an artist, educator and critical historian from Alaska now based in Oakland. They received a BA at Evergreen State College in 2015 and in 2019 received a MA+MFA in History & Theory of Contemporary Art and Studio Art with an emphasis in Printmaking at SFAI. Laster makes generative and collaborative projects connected to the weight of the past, human migration and the effervescent exhaustion of everyday love. Laster has taught at San Francisco Center for the Book, been a studio assistant at Hospitality House’s Community Arts Program and currently works at NIAD as a studio facilitator.