Tale of a Tree, ceramics and phototransfer on plexiglass, print: 60" x 61 1/2"; platform: 78" x 62" x 9"; ceramic trees: vary, approx. 3” high, 1999-ongoing

Vera Tamari’s iconic installation refers to the hundreds of olive trees that have been destroyed. The olive is not only an essential food staple, but also a medicine, a cosmetic and a symbol for the attachment of Palestinians to the land. The wanton destruction of hundreds of these ancient trees by settlers and military forces is one of the many great tragedies of the occupation of Palestine.

“Vera Tamari pays tribute to the olive trees, a persistent theme in her work, now a dreamy vision in myriad shades of pastel blue, pink, purple and ochre yellow: The olive tree, green and solid, giving birth to coloured miniatures in itself, tired of its ancient form and of its constant symbol, breaks norms and transcends tradition, bursting into a dazzling rainbow for the future.”

–Tania Tamari Nacir/ March, 2000

Vera Tamari
born 1945 in Jerusalem, Palestine.
Education. She studied fine arts in Beirut, ceramics in Florence, and completed her M.Phil in Islamic Art and Architecture in Oxford University.
Lives in Ramallah, West Bank, Palestine