Israeli artist Sofia Wierkus and Palestinian artist Violette Baransi have spent the past two years working in collaboration, exploring the complex realities of life on both sides of the fence. Through their shared experience, the young artists have created a powerful body of work that responds to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East—without taking sides or making explicit political statements.
The artists’ creative journey has been shaped by the events of October 7, a pivotal moment in both artists’ work. Their response to these events and the broader realities of war unfold through a variety of media, with a particular emphasis on printmaking. Each piece speaks to the destruction, trauma, and human cost of conflict on both sides of the divide.
This exhibition showcases a mix of individual and collaborative works, where the artists process the ongoing conflict in a deeply personal yet shared artistic language. This includes a short film documenting an ongoing community engagement youth initiative in Israel-Palestine. Through their art, Wierkus and Baransi invite viewers to witness the impact of war without simplifying it into partisan narratives, offering a poignant reflection on the human experience at the heart of the ongoing crisis.
Through the Fence is more than an art exhibition; it is an exploration of our shared humanity.
Sofia and Violette are the ArtsLab visual artists for 2026. Through the ArtsLab programme each year The North Wall supports a talented, early career artist or artists to stage an exhibition in the gallery.
About the Artists
Sofia Wierkus
Sofia Wierkus lives in Oxford and is currently a student at d’Overbroeck’s School studying Architecture, Textiles and History of Art. She received the d’Overbroeck’s Sixth Form Art Scholarship in 2024, and is currently applying to study Architecture at university. With her family on her mother’s side all living in Israel-Palestine, Sofia has developed a focused interest in her work on the impact of the geo-politics on the land. Her work negotiates the reality of fences and borders dividing and dissecting the country, and the impact this has on those who experience this on a daily basis. Sofia works across print, models, installation and video-sound to develop work which reflects the human-tragedy of the current and ongoing conflict, with a keen interest in the possibility of change, hope and peace between all who belong to the land.
Violette Baransi
Violette Baransi was born in Palestine and spent the first eight years of her life moving between Jordan and Palestine before settling in Oxford. She currently attends Oxford High School, studying Art, Biology and Politics. These experiences of movement and change continue to shape how she understands place, belonging, and identity. Her practice exists at the intersection of personal experience and creative expression, shaped by the stories of displacement, strength and the challenging reality of life in Palestine. Working across print and mixed-media, Violette aims to create work that encourages the viewer to pause and feel both the weight of tragedy and the beauty within these lived experiences.
About the collaboration
Sofia Wierkus and Violette Baransi met in 2024 and began working alongside each other, sharing ideas and experiences. Together they initiated a collaborative printmaking workshop at ‘Jo Alon Centre for Co-Existence’ (Israel-Palestine) in February 2025 between a Jewish and Muslim high school.
Exhibition Opening
Thursday 8 January 6-8pm
Please join us to welcome in this new exhibition.
Free event / no booking required
Artists in Conversation
Tuesday 13 January 6.30-8pm
Join the artists in conversation with historian and Middle East expert James McDougall (Trinity College, Oxford)
Free event / Book tickets
