Participants:
Avraham Ben Shoshan, Udi Charka, Ayala Tzur, Ayelet Zohar, Alon Gil, Eliya Levi Yunger, Amnon Amos, Jacaranda Kori, Gur Inbar, Evgenia Kirshtein, Yuval Harel, Yael Atzmony, Meira
Una, Mor Geffen, Maiyan Ben Yona, Martha Rieger, Noam Dover and Michal Cederbaum, Noam Kisch, Irit Abba, Ronen Yamin, Rachel Menashe Dor, Shani Reches
In these difficult days we are faced with unbearable, destabilizing, and heartbreaking images and at the same time we see important artistic reactions to our complex reality. Gradually we realize that we must live with a stream of pain and difficulty, each one in their own personal circle and community.
“Pause” is a tribute to healing, rest, and beauty. It is a group exhibition that focuses on presenting quality ceramics that give breathing space and the choice to experience humaneness, comfort, compassion, and optimism. A break from scratching the wound, the pain and the difficulty – a type of escapism.
The exhibition is presented on square boards to give the feeling of stability. But at the same time, they are set very close to the floor, a place where it is usually unacceptable to present three-dimensional objects, a point that does not flatter the works as we would like to see them.
This creates a different relationship between the observer and the object and opens a point of discussion regarding perspective, the unpredictable relationship between the viewer and the works and a new meaning for the works on display. Despite the desire for escapism, the low display creates discomfort. Is this feeling irritating and annoying? Or does it reflect the inability (of myself as a curator and the Benyamini Center) to exhibit a simply beautiful exhibition.
At the start of work on the exhibition (which began with the understanding that the war has disrupted the entire exhibition program and that we cannot ignore such a momentous and horrendous event) I wanted to show an exhibition of beautiful and excellent ceramics and not join the wave of exhibitions that very appropriately are a ‘reaction to the situation’ but rather present the pleasant and the comforting of material making. At the same time, I wanted to create a ‘time capsule’, an area demilitarized of horrors, and a break from the endless wave of awful images that we are exposed to from news and art. And so, the invitation extended to the artists to participate in the exhibition specifically requested works that are not a reaction to the situation. Once I received the proposals, I considered the exhibition space and despite my original statement I felt that I could not show the works in an acceptable format. I asked permission from the artists to present the works low down and received interesting and varied answers which in general reflected the feeling and agreement.
An interesting experiment? A new viewpoint? A fundamental mistake forced on the works?
What’s your opinion?
