Are these figures praying? Or are they about to be searched? ⁣ ⁣ For her painting Wall Weeping, artist Marlene Dumas referenced a photo of Israeli soldiers searching Palestinian men in front of a stone wall. Dumas changed the context by focusing on a cropped section of the image without the soldiers—leaving the viewer with questions.⁣ ⁣ The perception of identity and place shifts between the cropped image and its real world explanation—Palestinians shift visually into Israelis, an ordinary wall shifts perhaps into the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. The visual connection that Dumas portrays between the nations suggests that social connections, despite decades-long conflict, might also be realized.⁣ ⁣ In her figurative paintings, Dumas explores themes of political oppression and identity that are informed by her experience growing up in South Africa during apartheid. She was born #OnThisDay in 1953.⁣ ____⁣ Marlene Dumas, Wall Weeping, 2009. Oil on linen. The Broad Art Foundation. © Marlene Dumas