Jesus in Bethlehem: heART flow portal
On January 12, 2019, I found myself painting on the separation barrier in Bethlehem—a moment that has stayed with me ever since. My journey began with a visit to the Walled Off Hotel by Banksy, followed by the Aida Refugee Camp tour, where I met my guide. As we bonded, I asked him to take me somewhere to paint. We drove into the camp, and he picked a gate, one I would later call the “Gate of Terror.” This was no ordinary gate—it was a symbol of fear, as Israeli soldiers would use it to enter the camp and infuse the people with terror.
On this gate, I painted a portrait of Jesus. The image was based on a piece I had created during my 2018 Domagk Atelier Art residency, a year that was intense, to say the least. That year, I had 10 solo shows, participated in MADOA, worked full-time, and was consumed by the whirlwind of life. Near the end of 2018, I made the decision to stop getting high on THC.
My higher soul stepped in and led me through what would become the darkest time of my life—a descent into madness as I lost my mind and started on my “dream jumping” reality.
It was during this time, or perhaps just after returning from my trip to Bristol and London in search of Banksy, that I felt an overwhelming pull to find him in Bethlehem. In many ways, this quest for Banksy became intertwined with my own battle through psychosis. Painting on the separation barrier in Bethlehem was more than just an act of artistic expression—it was a way for me to release my own torment, to project my inner search for peace onto something larger than myself.
This painting, which I now refer to as a heART flow portal, is so much more than a piece of art on a wall. Whether it still exists in its original form or has been covered by layers of paint, the energy it emanates remains. It carries the essence of that transformative time in my life, a moment where my higher soul was guiding me even through the darkest of shadows.
Today, the situation in this region remains tragic, and my heart aches for the ongoing suffering. Through my heART flow portal, I continue to send energy to this area, hoping to bring healing and peace to those enduring so much pain. Regardless of whether the mural remains visible, its essence is still alive, channeling hope through the heART flow portal I created on that gate.
The heART flow portal I created in Bethlehem symbolizes hope and fear, loss and recovery, but most of all, it serves as a testament to the power of art as a channel for healing and connection. Regardless of whether the art is visible or not, its energy remains, radiating from that gate, a reminder of the journey that brought me there. Today, I send love and light through that heART flow portal to a place that needs it more than ever.
