Naama Levit

Dela Nayadey, 2019

Limestone 

Dela Nayadey is concerned with the appropriation and politicization of a material belonging to, or frequently used in, a certain geographical area. The work examines the exploitation of such a material in order to elicit a certain emotional reaction and highlight an individual, public, and historical narrative. The presentation of material “evidence” is used, in this context, to the point of justifying wars fought for its preservation or the protection of its sanctity. The heavy jewelry piece, composed of hard chalkstone collected by Levit (known locally as “Jerusalem stone”), uses the body as a stage for an exploration of the historical symbolism and oppressive weight of wars, as well as of geological elements that have come to be associated with sites of contention, claims of ownership, and symbols of identity.

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