Israel Exhibits: Winter 2019
From flowers to pottery, book pages and garments, this Winter in Israel there are a variety of different mediums and types of art. Learn about movements like Artistic Manifestoism, or how myths and legends inspired entire galleries of creative masterpieces.
If you’d like to feel inspired by some peaceful and aesthetically pleasing flowers, the Seeds of the Land at the Ticho House will explore how Israeli artists have used local flora and botanical drawings to represent cultural and national identity. These vivid and detailed prints are meant to be both allegorical and metaphorical, while being beautiful representations of plants. This exhibit will be in bloom until November 2nd, 2019.
In a twist on artistry called “artistic manifestoism,” The Manifestos takes you on a journey of everything related to political manifestos, including collage and photomontage, and artwork influenced by famous inspiratory written pieces. The early nineteenth-century manifestos altered language and typography in history - rules of spelling, syntax, and punctuation were redone, and the provocative rhetoric became a “cross-disciplinary, multi-sensory performance.” Find these bold and resistive documents at the Nathan Cummings Building for Modern and Contemporary Art until November 2nd, 2019.
If you are feeling whimsical, bring out your inner child with Peter and Pan: From Ancient Greece to Neverland at the Bella and Harry Wexner Gallery until December 2019. This fantastical exhibit follows the metamorphosis of Pan, the Greek god, into Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, the beloved character who never wanted to grow up. Pan, the mythological god, was half human and half goat; a god of shepherds and rustic music with a penchant for mischief. When Peter Pan debuted in 1904, the ancient deity had morphed into a persuasive, yet volatile, boy who aimed for perpetual youth. Explore the evolution through time-worn art pieces and colorful representations of the elusive and capricious being.
Throughout history there are lonely sojourners depicted in art from Biblical narratives to ancient myths. The exhibit The Wanderer spans from Europe to Asia; here you can see the Wandering Jew, the Flying Dutchman, the Ancient Mariner, and the Prodigal Son alongside each other. These nomads are from war, misfortune, or persecution, or in some cases, inspired from myths and legends. The imagery is ominously depictive of nature’s darkest and bleakest places: forests, mountains, wastelands, and billowy waves. Wander through this captivating mini-journey at the Della and Fred Worms OBE Gallery until December 30, 2019.
From September 7th, 2019– February 2nd, 2020 you can see Gods, Heroes and Mortals in Ancient Greece in a beautiful collection of ancient Greek pottery that dates back over 4,000 years ago. Some of these vessels held water, oil and wine while others were smaller and held precious ointments and perfumes. The pottery is graced with stunning images of the gods, mortals, and mythical legends. These detailed images provide us with some ideas of the habits, customs, and crafts of the ancient Greeks. Find these preserved pieces at the Bible Lands Jerusalem Museum.
The special exhibit, From Foreign to Familiar, puts forth an array of Early Islamic unglazed pottery at The Holy Land Gallery until February 2020. Here you can visually see how Egyptian Coptic textiles and dark lines were prevalent influencers on the pieces of art, as well as repeated motifs with birds, date palms, pine cones,and cypress trees. Both pottery and textiles have been artfully restored to show extraordinary intricacy and details.
The exhibit, Veiled Women of the Holy Land, explores how shawls, wraps, and veils in adherence to religion and modesty has translated into the modern world. Provocative questions like “do the multiple layers covering the woman’s body protect her, or do they reflect centuries of oppression?” are pondered and asked of women who wear the prohibitive dress code. Through photographs, texts, and video works, you can see and hear interviews from women of all different religious affiliations. This display is available until February 2020 at the Spertus Gallery in Jerusalem.
Israel Exhibits: Summer 2019
This Summer and Fall in Israel is rich with photography, modern lines, fun toy exhibits, and rich designs with political criticism. Fall in love with history, crisp images, earthy pottery, and a whole host of up-and-coming artists.
A beautiful photographic montage, A Modern Love, captures in still-life a vast range of photographs from 1900 to 1945. Photography as an art form is relatively young. This elegant array shows how new photographers eagerly wished to capture the world - in modern and realistic tones, while their artistic license often ran wild to create abstract and even impressionistic works. These nouveau artists created a whole new type of artistry with their work behind the lens. Find these snapshots of history at the Robert and Rena (Fisch) Lewin Gallery until July 16th, 2019.
The minimalist exhibit, “Less Is More: Israeli Art Homage to Bauhaus,” will be at The Gallery at the Diaghilev Hotel until July 27, 2019. The famous Bauhaus School in Germany is celebrating their centennial anniversary with a dazzling show of fine arts combined with craft arts, architecture, and design - including heavy influences from Israel. Notable artists like Zoya Cherkassky-Nnadi, Liat Elbling, Michal Levy, Ohad Meromi, Uriel Miron, Hilla Toony Navok, and Nahum Tevet will showcase their modern and minimalist designs in true spirit of the Bauhaus.
Delight your inner child with The Art of the Brick - International Lego Exhibition at the Expo Tel Aviv until August 27th, 2019. This mind-blowing exhibit features over one and a half MILLION LEGO blocks! There is an expansive presentation of 3D LEGO sculptures and portraits, with only the signature plastic stacking blocks as a medium. This exhibit has been touring internationally and is not one to miss! The New York artist aims to dazzle and awe with the larger-than-life structures. Perfect for site-seeing with the kids and bringing out your own playful imagination.
If you have an interest in learning more about who found the Dead Sea Scrolls, you’re in luck. In the exhibit The Faces behind the Scrolls, we get an intimate look at the individuals involved in discovering, deciphering, and photographing four of the most significant known scrolls: The Great Isaiah Scroll, Community Rule Scroll, Commentary on Habakkuk Scroll, and the Genesis Apocryphon. These scrolls have endured the journey from discovery in caves to formal display, from the hands of Bedoin shepherds to expert curators. An extensive array of photographs, documents, and items relating to these pivotal figures are available at The Dorot Foundation Dead Sea Scrolls Information and Study Center until August 30th, 2019.
In memorial of a tragedy, Mordecai Ardon: Struma walks us through the cascade of events from the sinking of the ship, Struma. In 1942, the ship, carrying over seven hundred and fifty Jewish refugees from Romania, sank in the Black Sea. The disastrous voyage ended when Turkish authorities wouldn’t allow the passengers ashore, which lead to a shortage of food and water, and dysentery broke out. In the midst of several countries trying to figure out who would accept the refugees, the ship was suddenly and inexplicably taken down by a Soviet submarine. This became a notable historical event in Jewish history as so many lives were mourned. Ardon’s dramatic and pictorial oil paintings are a tribute to the catastrophe, and you can view this elegant memorial at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art until September 2nd, 2019.
A rich and colorful display, Twin Spirits: Prince Twins Seven-Seven and Yoruba Ceremonial Art will delight your eyes with bright reds and bold designs. His technique reflects how the universe is constantly in a state of transformation. The artist’s pieces are complex: mythology, poetry, dreams, and his imagination merge to come to life on canvas. Common themes include Yoruba spirits and deities, the unseen forces of the universe, and old Yoruba myths. The folkloric artwork will be on display at Faith-Dorian and Martin Wright Gallery for African Art until September 15th, 2019.
In the exhibit, Samah Shihadi: Spellbound, the artist’s anguish over the traumatic history of Palestine is evident in her feminist drawings. As the winner of the 2018 Haim Shiff Prize for Figurative-Realist Art, Shihadi critiques religion and women’s roles in society. The artist draws from her own family’s experiences and the misfortunes of her ancestors. Her captivating and realistic works are at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art until October 21st, 2019.
Lisa Reihana’s “in Pursuit of Venus [infected ]” is a retrospective on the voyages of Captain James Cook, and how his quest to track the transit of Venus also brought despair and European diseases. Her passion and bitterness over the invasion of such a beautiful area is reflected in her wistful art. The artist uses a specific French wallpaper with exotic designs as an inspiration, and depicts issues of post-colonialism, injustice, transnational relationships, and indigenous autonomy. Her critique of the impact of colonialism can be found at the Palevsky Design Pavilion until December 19th, 2019.