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Banksy hand-picked Montreal artist Dominique Petrin to be part of the Walled Off Hotel

Montreal artist Dominique Petrin opens up about her experience working for Banksy on his Walled Off Hotel project.
CBC Radio ·
Montreal artist Dominique Pétrin installing her work in the Walled Off Hotel.

It's the kind of call artists dream of: being asked by mystery-cloaked British street artist Banksy to take part in a new project. And when that happened, Montreal artist Dominique Petrin thought it was a joke.

"For a long time, I thought it was a scam until I got some money in my bank account," Petrin admits.

But eventually, she landed at the West Bank city of Bethlehem, where Banksy has set up his latest project, the Walled Off Hotel, so named because it sits beside the wall Israel built to keep Palestinians out. Petrin prepared as much as she could, based on a one-liner statement: "British colony on the verge of collapsing." 

The art project is meant to promote discussion about the Israeli-Palestinian divide, all the while functioning as an actual hotel. Today on the show, Petrin talks to Tom Power about what it was like to design a room in that hotel and how being locked in the Walled Off Hotel for a month gave her a whole new appreciation for the anonymous artist.

Below are some photos from the hotel and the room Petrin designed: 

This Pétrin painting, if you look closely, includes a drone. (submitted by Dominique Pétrin)
Pétrin designs include strange details, like this pattern made of Xanax pills. (submitted by Dominique Pétrin)
The view from the Walled Off Hotel. All rooms feature a view of the wall. (submitted by Dominique Pétrin)

— Produced by Elaine Chau

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