JustArts spoke with Dor Guez about his experiences interviewing relatives and designing the space for his exhibit in the Rose Art Museum.

JustArts: What was the inspiration for you to focus on Israeli identity in your work?
Dor Guez: On the surface, my work focuses on the Christian Palestinian identity, as I'm also a member of this community, but the outcome of experiencing the work is personal for the viewer, who can be from any nationality. It asks you to think about nationality, identity, religion and culture.
JA: How do you negotiate Israeli politics and conflict when presenting your artwork to the public?
 DG: I'm telling a story, sharing a narrative, and it is up for the audience to think about the implication. I'm an artist, not a politician.
JA: What was it like to interview your relatives about their interpretations of their Israeli identity?
DG: Once I'm at the editing room, I try to disconnect myself from the personal relations I have with some of the people I film, but I guess that it is never the case with my grandparents, shown in "Sabir," "July 13" and "Watermelons Under the Bed."
JA: Did you find any differences in viewers' responses when displaying your art in Israel and displaying it in the United States?
DG: I can answer that question better after my residence at Brandeis in October. I left right after the opening for a month.
JA: We were told that you designed the exhibition in the Rose on your own. What led you to adopt that process as your own?
DG: The way that the works are shown is a part of the artistic expression, so I believe it is the job of the artist to plan the architectural design. In my show "The Nation's Groves" at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, I designed the benches, which were an important part of the exhibition. For the installation I did for the Istanbul biennial, I designed three-legged tables.
JA: Do you have further plans for exhibitions in the United States?
DG: Yes. I'm currently the International Artist-in-Residence at Artpace in Texas. I will launch a new project named "40 Days" as a solo show on November 15.
JA: Was your exhibit "toned down" for Brandeis, as a recent article in The New York Times suggests? If so, why was it toned down?
DG: My work was never "toned down" by anyone. I simply don't work with institutes that have any kind of censorship. I can assure you it was not the case with the Rose. "100 Steps to the Mediterranean' presents an overview of my work to date and relates directly to the issues I have an artistic interest in.