The Israeli art world reflects the fusion of secular influences and millennia of Jewish tradition in Israeli society, with some artists feeling deeply connected to it and others completely disconnected from it. Some artists are This world is vibrant and colorful, but it also expresses the contradictions of Israel’s difficult reality.
To quote Amitai Mendelsohn, senior curator of Israeli art at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, “Art has always developed within a complex context of sociopolitical tension, war, and bloodshed. It is then impossible to separate everyday personal life from society’ the historical and the mythical. ”
Israel’s modern art scene began 100 years ago when Reuben Rubin and other Jewish artists began creating here. This was more than 20 years before the modern state was formally established. I have always found it interesting that the Proclamation of the State of Israel was held at the Tel Aviv Museum (now known as Independence Hall), proving that arts and culture have always been essential to our society. It was done.
And while the war continues, Israeli artists do not stop working. Almost every week, many art galleries and museums have new openings and exhibitions.
Three Israeli artists I chose for interviews magazineEach has a very different approach and agreed to answer my three questions.
- What inspires you?
- What do you call art?
- What do you think makes your artwork different from that of other artists?
andy lavigne arnowitz
Andy Lavigne Arnowitz is a conceptual artist who creates print series, artist books, and large-scale installations using fabric, thread, and porcelain, as well as etching, digital information, and various printmaking processes. Arnowitz lives and works in Jerusalem, where she moved 25 years ago after making aliyah from the United States. She received her bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
She shows sensitivity in her work, exploring the various tensions that exist within religion, gender, and politics.
Arnowitz has exhibited all over the world. Her work is held in many private collections in the United States and Europe, as well as major universities, museums, and institutions, including the Library of Congress, the National Library of Israel, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Diaspora Museum.
Currently, viewers in Israel can enjoy the fascinating and very nostalgic food created for the project “The Future of Jewish Cuisine in Italy” in a group exhibition titled “Eating with the Eyes” held at the Tel Aviv Artists House. You can see some of the watercolor collages. In early March, two very different works of hers will be exhibited at the Jerusalem Biennale. One that will be exhibited at the Italian Museum of Fine Arts and one that will be exhibited at the Italian Museum of Fine Arts. Best of Prayer at Museum on the Seam.
- Inspiration: “I am inspired by the intense flashpoints where religion, politics, and gender intersect. This country is often plagued by these issues, so I have a lot to work on. I am a human being. I am inspired by situations where a person is the ultimate hero or does something completely wrong. I am inspired by broken places that need healing, fixing, and redemption. I am inspired by human life. I am inspired by emotions, things that we all experience.”
- meaning of art: “I think art is anything that enhances our reality: sadness, pain, ecstasy, grace. It ranges from a simple sidewalk chalk drawing to a Rembrandt painting. I believe seeing is believing. For me, this is the ultimate and exquisite experience of a work of art, one that celebrates the human condition with everyone, without using words. In fact, it transcends the boundaries of language, It ignores education, money, gender and all other hierarchies. Art brings people together. It gives them a shared universal experience.”
- Arnowitz’s works: “In my art, I try very hard to make people aware of what I think is drawing our attention. Or to create work that makes people feel like their experience is shared.” They are not alone. I like to visually seduce the viewer by captivating or captivating them with the materials used, textures, craftsmanship, etc. And slowly, another, deeper purpose of art is revealed: to deal with problems and situations that require solving problems.Repairs. I feel successful when I’m gone. Anyone who has looked at my website can see that I tend to change the material depending on what the concept requires, but the basis of my work is It almost always starts with paper. Whether it’s a large-scale paper dress, a print, or an artist’s book, the paper generally needs to be manipulated in some way. I am immediately different from many artists. My work is conceptual, and the materials I use have to be completely consistent with the concept.”
andianowitz.com/
Gil Zabrodowski
Bat Yam’s Gil Zablodovsky is a multidisciplinary artist primarily working with video art and installation. He is a member and founder of the artist collective Grosso Mode Tel Aviv, and is preparing a new solo exhibition tentatively titled Gil Zabrodowski: Concerned Manufacturing Factory, which opens on April 4th. Curator Gili Sitton.
An important part of his work is sound-visual research and the construction of installation audio-based and site-specific projects. His design background – he studied at the High School of Design and Seminar where he studied at Hakibzim University, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication and Education, and a Master’s degree in Integrated Design from Holon University of Technology – but It adds a special touch to the design. his job. The spaces he chooses for his solo exhibitions captivate the audience and encourage participation. For example, Zabrodovsky’s 2019 exhibition “The Whole World” included Tel Aviv’s natural architecture and exhibited underground parking spaces and elevators. Each parking space took the viewer into another world.
He has also presented his work in many group exhibitions and festivals in Israel and abroad, including the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Jewish Museum of New York. Zebra Festival in Germany. and the Grosso Mode Gallery in Tel Aviv.
- Inspiration: “Sounds of life and music. Music is like a safe, personal space, where only you can set your own boundaries and understand and feel what you’re hearing. And , I’ve always believed that you need a muse in your life. It’s like a star in the sky inside your heart, and you’re trying to reach for it. A Star for Me is the singer Madonna. Madonna always creates herself and doesn’t let anyone get in her way. She always believes in herself.”
- meaning of art: “I am a multidisciplinary artist, which means I work in several mediums: sound, light, visual, physical and abstract. The most important thing for me is that my exhibition It’s about being able to come to a meeting and disconnect myself from the outside world. In a way, it’s like entering my perspective on life.”
- Zabrodowski’s works: “It comes from a very emotional space and I always leave the visitor with questions about what they saw and let them choose how to connect with my art. We have big questions and ask our visitors [answer] From experience and their perspective.
My last exhibition was “Dancing with Tears in My Eyes”. I decided to work with curator Sophie Berzon Mackie on the theme of “How do you feel when you are faced with reality?” and “What does the world look like through your eyes?” The meaning of the exhibition title is “Will you dance with tears of joy or dance with tears of sadness?”
Instagram: @zablocreate
Simon Pinto
Simon Pinto, who lives and works in Jerusalem, is a painter and sculptor with over 30 years of experience and is faithful to his memory in his art. His paintings have been exhibited in multiple solo and group exhibitions and are held in the collections of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
In February, he donated some of his paintings to a fundraising exhibition for the families of reservists suffering in the current war. The show will be held at the new art house of Sheetrit & Wolf Gallery in Tel Aviv’s Neve Tzedek.
A self-taught artist (he later studied at Tel Aviv’s Visual Arts Center and Ben-Gurion University), he began painting at an early age against his father’s wishes. He wanted his son to get into a practical profession. He was the only boy in a devout Jewish family from Morocco. They live in Arad, a city in the middle of the desert, and his gaze towards the desert is ever present in his art. He combines memory with current observations. Some of his works have a supernatural appearance or remind the viewer of illustrations in children’s books. But as he explains, what initially appears to be a landscape can also have a second meaning. For example, what looks like a flower in the bride’s hand is a heart. Pinto also incorporates Jewish symbolism into his work, such as in his “Midrash” series. He paints oil paintings on canvas.
Israeli art is like schnitzel in pita, a European dish wrapped in a simple Middle Eastern bread, Pinto said. magazine. He makes an important contribution to this cultural fusion.
- Inspiration: “Childhood memories. I observe my memories. There are many fragments of memories inside me. [built] until now. That explains the space I was born into and my motivations. ”
- meaning of art: Art lives in the way I walk and talk. My art is honesty. Art is ethics. Art is how I raise my children (I have 8 children and they all spent a lot of time in my studio from an early age). Art embraces society. And art is a visual document. ”
- Pinto’s work: “My art comes from my very intimate spaces, like the way I grew up in Arad in the Middle East in a devout Moroccan family. A specific space, but also a universal space. It is also a celebration of all colors. It has a double meaning. The field in my painting is also a woman’s belly. I have spent more than 30 years [of experience] In art. He has held 18 solo exhibitions and many group exhibitions. I get up early in the morning. I have my system.I go to the synagogue for the Shaharit prayer [the morning prayers]I go back home, help my wife, go to my studio and draw things I remember from my childhood: the desert, the donkeys of my Bedouin neighbors and friends, the children at school, the creatures. [that look like angels or birds]. I’m still wondering, I don’t know if Paint is female or male. What is its gender? [Pinto smiles.]
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