Where we come from (If I could do anything for you, anywhere in Palestine, what would it be?) 2001-03

Emily Jacir is a conceptual artist whose work responds to complex political situations by investigating how specific events have impacted on individual lives. Born in Palestine, much of Jacir's work is premised on the relative ease with which she can travel between her studio in New York and her family home — situated in what the United Nations describes as Israeli-occupied territory in the West Bank city of Ramallah — due to her US citizenship.  

The series ‘Where we come from’ takes its point of departure from a question posed by Jacir to Palestinians living in exile: 'If I could do something for you, anywhere in Palestine, what would it be?' The works are documents of Jacir’s attempts to realise these often startlingly simple wishes by making use of her own 'freedom of movement'.