A Dance of Sanity

A Contemporary View of Complex Realities

Exhibition Curator: Anat Lideror

The exhibition presents a body of work by active young artists, graduates of art institutions in Israel, including: the Oranim Institute of Art, the University of Haifa, Minshar School of Art, Bezalel – Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem, Hamidrasha – Beit Berl, the Institute of Arts at Tel-Hai Academic College, and the WIZO Academic Center Haifa.

In these times, one of the main possibilities for hope lies in turning the spotlight toward the worldview of young artists. As members of the next generation of leadership, they have the potential to become significant markers in the field of art and to emerge as the next influential voice – a generation that has grown up within the realities and circumstances of the past 20–30 years here in Israel.

The exhibition "A Dance of Sanity" addresses our need to move beyond the existing reality, driven by a deep longing to dance rather than struggle, and to create one inclusive reality. A single reality, even if complex, is preferable to the necessity of living within multiple realities that contain endless internal contradictions. The exhibition presents the dance of those who insist on finding an island of sanity – a beacon, a tower of light toward which one can move.

The exhibition examines prominent perceptions, works and artistic approaches among graduates whose work focuses on self-definition, identity, perception or social criticism, and the definition of our shared humanity.

At a time when a meaningful call is finally emerging from citizens of the country to stop extremism, incitement and hatred, there is a need to raise our heads and look directly at the many realities that often escape our attention.

Such observation may encompass experiences of pain, frustration or irony found within these realities, but it can also establish a point of departure from which we may grow toward a shared future.

Understanding the other, their pain and their humanity are essential tools for creating the foundations of sustainable peace.

The exhibition encompasses three layers:

First: A personal, specific and individual perspective that can be extended to the broader sphere.
Second: A systemic social perspective on power relations – between the system and the individual, or between one group and another, such as men and women.
Third: A perspective on our shared humanity, which exists beyond any definition, division or group affiliation.

This body, through all of its extensions – the works themselves – is concerned with humanity and the human condition, with the spark of life and the possibility of hope, and with the danger hovering above them. It observes the "now," directs its gaze toward the future, and makes its statement.

It is a complex body in which a constant tension exists between its different parts, even as they coexist side by side and together form a single whole. It is a tension between a critical examination of existing reality, intended to dismantle that reality; the persistent attempt to construct an identity; and the respite offered by the possibility of resting, for a moment, in the shelter of our shared humanity. This path opens the possibility of building together through difference – creating unity through multiplicity.

The gender ratio in the exhibition is 100:0, suggesting that this is a women's exhibition. Yet this is the outcome rather than the result of a preconceived intention. The exhibition recognizes itself as possessing feminine characteristics. It is an exhibition of art created by women. Is it therefore women's art? Or does art created by women contain more prominent characteristics that point toward a longing for common ground? These questions remain open.

Participants

Farid Abu Shakra – A multidisciplinary artist and lecturer at the Oranim Institute of Art. Born in Umm al-Fahm and a graduate of the Kalisher School of Art, he established and developed the Umm al-Fahm Art Gallery together with his brother Said Abu Shakra, curator of the art gallery in Nazareth.

Eyal Ben Dov – Photographer, photography theorist and curator of photography exhibitions. He teaches the history and aesthetics of photography at Bezalel – Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, at the Musrara School of Photography in Jerusalem, and at Sapir College. He was a partner in establishing the Limbus Gallery – A Place for Photography in Tel Aviv, and "Artneuland" Tel Aviv–Berlin.

Exhibition Events

Opening Event: 12.11.2016
Gallery Talk: with Farid Abu Shakra and Eyal Ben Dov, with the participation of the exhibiting artists – 1.1.2017
Closing Event: 31.12.2016

Publications

A Dance of Sanity / The Peace Gallery – Shared Art Center

"A Dance of Sanity" Exhibition – Artists' Talk at Givat Haviva

A Dance of Sanity – A New Joint Jewish-Arab Exhibition

A Glimpse into the Exhibition

Installation Photos