“To the Glory” – Local Souvenirs

Curators: Galina Arbeli, Adi Kerlitz

Opening: Thursday 14/11/19 at 19:30

Closing: Saturday 28/12/19 at 14:00

Guided exhibition tour with the curators: Friday 13/12/19 at 12:00 and Saturday 21/12/19 at 12:00

Morning of Lectures: Friday 27/12/19 at 10:00

ParticipatesAlon Menachem, Aviv Lichter & Shay Zilberman, Ayelet Geri, Amir zobel, Ann Ruth Factorovic, Behold – Netta Ashery, Tom Kohen, Dafna Sartiel, Daniel Elkayam, David Zacharie, Eilon Armon, Esther Knobel, Galia Chai, Yael Moav, Anat Sarel and the Bedouin Jahalin women of Khan El Akhmar, Hagar Cygler, Iddo Cahrny & Gad Charny, Judith Asher, Maayan Zlotkin, Maya Ben David & Ori Ben Zvi, Merav Rahat, Michal Caspi, Mor Harari, Matti Monachem, Nechama Golan, Netta Dror, Nivi Lehavi & Omri Fisher, Or Bornshtein , Orna Degani, Rachel Rotman Garji, Rami Tareef, Reddish – Naama Steinbock, Idan Friedman, Rinat Gilboa, Rona Zinger, Ronit Mirsky, Rotem Dolinsky, Roy Fabian, Shany Dvora, Sharon Murro, Sharon Rashbam Prop, Sharon Shamay Zehavi, Shaul Cohen, Shir Eshet Amiel, Shlomit Etgar, Shlomit Granat-Paldor, Shoshanna Givon, Talila Abraham, Tal Mor Sinay, Techia Friedland & Oded Friedland, Victoria Viki Marudi, Vita Lensky-Zer, Yael Balaban, Yael Serlin, Yariv Twig.

A souvenir is an object, a cultural product – but more than that – it is an attribute, produced in a social – cultural context, for the internal needs of a certain cultural group where it was made and for the needs of another group.  A souvenir is material, tangible evidence that symbolically freezes a memory of a person, a feeling, a transient experience or a place.  In other words, a souvenir is an object loaded with various ideas, feelings, metaphors that make it more than the object itself.

A souvenir has an important place in establishing and creating “Israeli”.  Many souvenirs express symbols, values and myths related to the structuring of the Israeli identity, including nationalism, ethnicity, melting pot, pluralism and multi-culturalism. In the past, and perhaps even now, Israeli souvenirs were a central part of “inventing” the local traditions with the purpose of contributing to the founding of Israeli society based on shared images and values and the feeling of belonging.

In the reality that we live in today, the souvenir needs to be updated with a new definition of local tradition as opposed to what was accepted for many years since there are many voices from different directions that express the feeling of lack of representation in the past.  From this, the questions arise as to: who decides what is local tradition? What is their background and how do they affect the way we represent memory of a place and time? And in general, what makes an object a souvenir?

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