Posted on 03/14/24
Jerusalem, Israel - Mar. 14, 2024 - In a resilient gesture that offers the healing power of art and creative expression to address the difficult challenges of our time, the Jerusalem Spring Biennale will showcase more than thirty exhibitions in dozens of venues around Jerusalem, opening March 10 through April 29, 2024.
After a decade of activity and creativity, the Jerusalem Biennale is the largest platform in the world for contemporary Jewish art, with Jerusalem, Israel at its core.
Several exhibitions from the 6th Jerusalem Biennale, postponed from November 2023 due to the war, were exhibited in North and South America and Europe in a display of solidarity with the people of Israel.
The theme of the 6th Biennale, is a literal translation of the Hebrew phrase Tzon Barzel, Iron Flock, gave voice to serious recognition of Jewish and Israeli women artists. Executed only partially in 2023 and now adjusted in response to the current situation, the Tzon Barzel theme is explored in the Spring Biennale, alongside new content created after October 7.
Founder and Creative Director of the Jerusalem Biennale, Rami Ozeri explains: “The October 7 attack disrupted the celebration of a decade of activities in the contemporary art arena, promoting Jerusalem as an international hub for artists from all around the world. Our partners around the world have created a moving series of solidarity shows outside Jerusalem. Now it’s time to get back to the city."
Adding, "We scheduled Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet, March 10, for the Spring Biennale opening events in the hope that this date will signal a turnaround for the better. The challenge of establishing and maintaining channels of collaboration in the international art world is greater than ever, and more important than ever. We are absolutely committed to keeping Jerusalem on the international map of contemporary art.”
The Spring Biennale is taking place in more than 20 venues around Jerusalem, including the historic Shaarei Tzedek building on Jaffa Road, the home of the Jerusalem Biennale,
Heichal Shlomo Museum, the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, and The U. Nahon Museum of Jewish Italian Art.
A media tour on March 13, 2024, began with the exhibition led by curator Emily Bilski. Threading explores the rich reservoir of cultural assets created by Jewish women, emphasizing textile arts as a medium and as a metaphor. The exhibit includes both upcycling fabrics with personal significance to create new artworks, as well as evoking traditional textile techniques, such as weaving and embroidery, deployed as visual motifs in other media including video, wood, metal, and paper. The Italian Synagogue in the building and the architecture add to the viewer's experience.
Jews on Paper, curated by Hillel Smith and Eli Kaplan-Wildmann line the lobby of Heichel Shlomo. Printed posters have been the most accessible form of visual media since their introduction in the West nearly six centuries ago. Contemporary posters featuring Jewish texts, holidays, and rituals bring Jewish content into the home. A variety of selected designs are arranged by theme. One visiting artist is New Yorker Steve Marcus, in Israel with his works on Tu Beshvat and Purim on exhibit and plans to be in Baltimore in the future.
A Palace in Time, the first architecture exhibition at the Jerusalem Biennale, documents a trend of returning to history and heritage in the design of contemporary religious Jewish
buildings. The projects highlight different layers of the Jewish past and signify their importance in shaping Jewish architectural identity.
The exhibition examines the material consequences that the destruction of Jewish monuments during Kristallnacht and World War II had in shaping the Jewish architectural styles that followed. A piece showing the destroyed synagogue in Dresden and a video by an IDF soldier returning to the synagogue in Beruit of his youth were highlights.
A Palace in Time: Contemporary Religious Buildings Facing Jewish History is curated by Dr. Arch. Naomi Simhony.
Also at Heichel Shlomo, where the opening is to be held after Shabbat, are Hallelujah with Curator Udi Urman and Tzimtzum curated by Eitan Gutenmacher, Lindsay Leboyer, and Daniella Messer.
Among the Jews on Paper Artists are Anshie Kagan, Yehoshua Hooper, Rachel Jackson (with Jackson Mercer), Mike Wirth, Zan Goodman, Christopher Orev Reiger, Jay Smith, Steve Marcus, Yitzchok Moully, Heather Vidmar-McEwen, Jessica Deutsch, Roy Riginashvili, Alex Woz, Eitan Gutenmacher, Silvia Bar-Am, and Shana Rotter Koppel.
Included in the photo essay are scenes from Behind the Mask, by curators Vera Pilpoul and Ermanno Tedeschi, Seeds of Memory with curator Elizabeta Zaidner, a family textile by artist Heddy Abramowitz, and views inside the ornate and impressive Italian Synagogue.
