@itsnicethat
Instagram · Faceless
@itsnicethat Irish-Palestinian illustrator @YosefPhelan’s work is an exploration into heritage, both jagged and rounded in exclamations in violent ends and heartfelt stories of generational traumas and unapologetic identity. In a recent body of work titled Harsh Roads, Yosef explores conversations with his father about his life growing up in Palestine and the years thereafter. In one animation, Yosef's father narrates the connection between his wife, Yosef’s mother, and his own mother. Between hanging pauses caught in nostalgia, we hear Yosef’s father tell us how his mother had surprised him. He was not married to his wife, Caroline, yet his mother says “ I am your witness, God is your witness. You are married.” He continues, “For actually an old traditional Palestinian lady to say what she said, I thought that was something really special.” Visually narrated in graphite illustrations of geometric fauna, almost like embroidery in lace cloths draped over dinner tables, this animation truly captures a deep warmth. Illustrations wash in and out like rippled water, swishing into flower wreathes doubled as embraces and family members rendered by Yosef’s pencil. With no digital captions, Yosef chooses to subtitle the animation in pencil, extending its universe even further to bring you deeper into the story at hand. These figures are not static either, with frames layered and altered ever-so-slightly to create snapshot movements. Moments are given room to sprawl themselves out; Yosef’s father is given sacred space to be canvassed soft. #itsnicethat
