Israeli Art and the Politics of Identity: Beyond Multiculturalism
In a 2008 article for Artpress, curator Galit Eilat contends that it is more accurate to characterize Israeli society as 'multiple cultures' rather than multiculturalism. She examines the transition from the melting-pot concept established in 1948 to the postcolonial critiques that emerged in the 1990s, shaped by the Oslo Accords, immigration waves from Russia and Ethiopia, and the first Intifada. Eilat points out artists such as Guy Ben Ner, Yehudit Sasportas, Sigalit Landau, and Keren Russo, and references exhibitions like 'Palestin(a): Women's Art from Palestine' (1998, Tel Aviv) and 'Kadima – To the East' (1998, Israel Museum, Jerusalem). She also mentions the censorship of Ulrich Loock's text for Ahlam Shibli's 'Goter' (2002) and comments on Yael Bartana's 'Summer Camp' (2007), ultimately asserting that the prevailing national ideology remains largely unchallenged.
Key facts
- Galit Eilat is curator, director of the Israeli Centre for Digital Art in Holon, editor-in-chief of Maarav, and lecturer at Tel Aviv University.
- Guy Ben Ner and Yehudit Sasportas represented Israel at the Venice Biennale in 2005 and 2007 respectively.
- Exhibition 'Palestin(a): Women's Art from Palestine' was held in Tel Aviv in 1998.
- Exhibition 'Kadima – To the East: Orientalism in the Arts in Israel' was held at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem in 1998.
- Jumana Emil Abboud was selected by Francis McKee for the Lyon Biennale in 2007.
- Ahlam Shibli won the Gottesdiener Prize in 2002, accompanied by $10,000 and a solo exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum.
- Dr. Ulrich Loock's catalogue text for Ahlam Shibli's exhibition was partially censored by museum director Mordechai Omer.
- Yael Bartana's video 'Summer Camp' (2007) documents a camp organized by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions in the village of Anta.
- The article is a continuation of an investigation on Middle Eastern artists from Artpress issue 341.
- The article was translated by Jacques Demarcq.
Entities
Artists
- Galit Eilat
- Guy Ben Ner
- Yehudit Sasportas
- Sigalit Landau
- Keren Russo
- Jumana Emil Abboud
- David Adika
- Haim Ben-Shitrit
- Joseph Dadoune
- Ahlam Shibli
- Yael Bartana
- Rami Mimon
- Dor Guez
- Azza El Hassan
- Dina Ghazal
- Faten Nastas Mitwasi
- Nidaa Khoury
- Noel Jabbour
- Rana Bishara
- Suheir Ismail Farraj
- Omer Fast
- Rabih Mroué
- Akram Zaatari
- Adi Nes
- Barry Frydlender
- François Margolin
- Helmer Larski
Institutions
- Artpress
- Israeli Centre for Digital Art
- Maarav
- Tel Aviv University
- Venice Biennale
- Biennale de Lyon
- Israel Museum, Jerusalem
- Tel Aviv Museum
- Ein Harod Museum of Art
- Petach Tikva Museum
- Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art
- Kunsthalle Basel
- Kunsthalle Fridericianum
- Centre Pompidou
- Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme
- Musée d'art moderne et contemporain, Strasbourg
- Film Museum Düsseldorf
- Musée du Louvre
- Max Wigram Gallery
- gb agency
- galerie Praz-Delavallade
- Braverman ByArt Projects Gallery
- D. Azoulay Gallery
- Espace Croisé
- Tramway, Glasgow
- Gallery for Contemporary Arts, Leipzig
- Kunsthalle, Vienna
- Contemporary Art Centre, Toronto
- Hagar Art Gallery
- Ami Steinitz – Contemporary Art
- AL-Wasiti Palestinian Art Center
- Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
- Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow
- Haaretz
- Gottesdiener Prize
Locations
- Israel
- Tel Aviv
- Jerusalem
- Palestine
- Ofakim
- Afula
- Amsterdam
- Nice
- Paris
- Glasgow
- Liège
- Toronto
- Kassel
- Leipzig
- Vienna
- Roubaix
- Strasbourg
- Miami
- Düsseldorf
- London
- Basel
- Anta
- Negev
- Egypt
- Russia
- Ethiopia
- Switzerland
- France
Sources
- artpress —