Italian photographer, David Brunetti  , has traveled the world, documenting the human saga, bringing light to populations that need to be seen and understood in an effort to inspire a global community. The work I am featuring today, Looking for Palestine, is a personal project that reveals that in a time of continual conflict there is a generation of Palestinians that are simply trying to live normal lives.

David is an Italian documentary and reportage photographer based in London. David’s personal projects are visual narratives gathered over extended periods of time that confront issues of human rights, migration, refugees, conflict and identity. With a particular interest in humanitarian issues affecting identity in (post) conflict situations David aims to capture images that will influence, leave lasting impressions, move and inspire.

David has worked with a number of organizations and institutions such as EveryChild, UNHCR UK and Doctors of the World. And recognition of David’s work has culminated in a number of awards, including Fujifilm Distinctions Awards, The Other 100, the Hasselblad Masters, the Portrait Salon and the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize.

Looking for Palestine

 Mahmoud Darwish once warned, “the danger is that the Palestinian remains a topic, not a self.” Many people tend to see the Palestinians through the lens of their chosen stereotype. We are all brought up with certain clichés about Palestine. It’s all we hear and know about. But there is no Palestinian ‘defect’, there is no ‘other’. Palestine is much more complex, much more varied and much more detailed than any of these generalizations allow.

Instead, Palestinians defiantly live their identity everyday by singing, dancing, reciting poetry and by remembering. Facing constant adversity they have to constantly reconstruct the sense of normality that we take for granted. It’s what they do – keep going, rebuilding and restarting, no matter what keeps coming.

“Looking for Palestine” is a portrait driven project that focuses on young, ambitious, talented Palestinians – such as artists, professionals, journalists and entrepreneurs – who may have to negotiate conflict, resist occupation and who have been reduced to stereotypes but who choose life. 

The project aims to challenge the prevailing perception of Palestinians that portrays them as either victims of the occupation or radicalised terrorists only, and questions how a false balance in reporting influences our views on a complex and diverse society.