Exhibitions

The artist Aïm Deuelle Luski focuses his work The 21st Year to the Demise of Hilmi Shusha (2017) on a specific political event that occurred during the First Intifada. The two works present a reality in which the endless cycle of disaster, threat and terror produces a contemporary form of indifference and alienation. French philosopher Jacques Derrida describes this as a process of disconnection from the suffering of others. The suffering becomes transparent and denied, in a process of formative and defensive violence exercised by the state’s institutions.

The first part of the exhibition focuses on the notion of anonymity as a crucial component in contemporary female activism. This motif opposes the idea of intimate and personal familiarity with the female image.
Judith Butler in her book Precarious Life (2004) analyzes images of victims in the media. The victim’s narrative is always told in the first person. We identify with the victim by getting to know his or her family, education, and lifestyle.

Seeking refuge, immigration, crossing the Mediterranean via clandestine routes – these have become central issues for many artists, critics, and curators. Small boats carrying immigrants have emerged, in the words of art historian Jennifer González, as "an iconic sign and key metaphor for African migration."

We are currently living in a state of emergency, as described by the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben. This is a state in which the government presents the limitation of personal liberties as an inevitable step for maintaining national freedom. Different from situations of anarchy or chaos, the suspension of law is given legal basis. This practice has become central to many democratic countries. Western democracy have developed a tendency not to declare a state of emergency explicitly.

Today's art world, in Israel and worldwide, evinces an increased interest in the intersection of art and social activism. Known as artivism, this new form of expression aspires to blend art and activism in equal degree. Contemporary art criticism emphasizes the power of art to function as an arena for political protest. Artistic activism, a new phenomenon that has become a staple of our time, is different from the type of critical art that dominated modernist discourse in the 20th century, as pointed out by curator and philosopher Boris Grois.

This exhibition examines the artists' perspective on struggle and protest and the degree of their involvement, which can range from artistic homage to pronounced activism. The works depict battle scenes, rallies, or protests – some well-known while others are none recognizable. The exhibition revolves around two central images: the mask and the knight. The mask is used for concealment and protection. It provides anonymity and can help the wearer lose his or her inhibitions and express personal freedom.

The street artist known as AME72 draws inspiration from pop culture and uses bold colors in his stenciled and freehand graffiti works. His installation features ten life-size policemen drawn on wooden boards: smiling on one side, frowning on the reverse. The policemen are designed to resemble LEGO minifigures, a recurring motif in the artist's work.

The liberal political stance that seeks to define the limits of the LGBTQIA space is based on two complementary assumptions. First is the assumption of otherness, which presumes an inherent difference between the LGBTQIA community and heterosexuals – one that transcends any other form of kinship that may exist between the two groups.

Yefman's multidisciplinary works challenge normative definitions of otherness and examine the way in which personal and collective traumas shape inherent identities.