Main Exhibition

Untitled

Curators: Yifat Gurion & Michal Baharav Uzrad

One of the most influential books in Western discourse since the second half of the 20th century has been “Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo,” by the renowned anthropologist Mary Douglas.* The book introduces the idea that the separation into categories of sacred and impure, good and evil – allows society to maintain order and contentment. The concepts of art, design, and craft were also constructed in cultural discourse within symbolic dichotomies: art-craft, philosophical contemplation-usability, aesthetics-commerce, beauty-function, and so on.

The exhibition “Untitled” reflects on the emerging trend in Israel and worldwide, which offers hybrid and fluid curation that no longer invokes categorization and separation but rather brings together different disciplines and celebrates expression, creativity, ingenuity, and imagination.

Craft as a carrier of cultural and historical charge is the starting point for the piece “Magical Flowers” by Artan Shabani (Albania), which reflects through elaborate painting on Albania’s dying textile industry;The patterns designed by Sharon Tal (Israel) in the collaboration between Maskit Fashion House and leading technology company Kornit Digital employ cutting-edge technology to translate traditional embroidery into print.

These are joined by Talia Mukmel (Israel) with the project “Neo-Stucco,” which offers a new take on a traditional technique through material research and innovation; Tzuri Gueta (Israel-France) whose work “Recover” consists of a poetic sculpture that explores ecological processes; and Omer Polak (Israel-Berlin) with the project “Fake Nature – Real Objects,” which sets out to engage the viewer with the gray areas between nature and culture.

Material as the intersection of tradition and technology, and their connection to the world of nature, are also evident in the works of other artists featured in the exhibition: in his piece Light Field  Barak Chamo (Israel-New York) uses the physical engagement of visitors in the exhibition space to recreate man’s fascination with creation; in Nobuhiro Nakaishi’s “Sunset Light” (Japan), the last moments of light before the sun sets create an interactive sculptural object consisting of dozens of photographs; the radical piece “Hand Tools D+E+M. For Molding Deep Convictions” by Apparatus 22 collective (Romania) similarly offers contemplation on the hybridization of art, design, and craft.

In this exhibition, we wish to look at the zeitgeist and to bring to the forefront artists who express it in original and intriguing ways. We thank all the artists who joined us on this journey.

* According to the Times Literary Supplement 100 most influential books