Visions of Place: Complex Geographies in Contemporary Israeli Art

Visions of Place: Complex Geographies in Contemporary Israeli Art offers a unique lens through which to view and better understand the complexities of Israel, as well as a vehicle for examining themes central to humanity and society, including ethnicity, religion, geographical boundaries, and identities. The exhibition also introduces our audiences for the first time to a wide selection of working artists, given the relatively limited exposure to contemporary Israeli art in the United States.

Organized by Dr. Martin Rosenberg of Rutgers University and Dr. J. Susan Isaacs of Towson University, the exhibition features artists ranging from leading figures such as Sigalit Landau, Adi Nes, Pavel Wolberg, and Dorit Feldman, to younger creators such as Anisa Ashkar, Oded Balilty, Zoya Cherkassky, and Toby Cohen.

The exhibition is broadly organized around geography, which, in all its many manifestations — physical, personal, religious, political, historical, economic — is an inescapable part of Israeli life, psyche, and art.

This organizing topic is divided into five meaningful and sometimes overlapping themes: “The Past in the Present,” “People in the Land,” “Contested Geographies,” “Interventions: From Destruction to Healing,” and “Diverse Identities.”

Approximately half of the represented artists are women; and, while the majority of the artists are Jewish, from many different backgrounds, the exhibition includes Arab artists who are Muslim, Christian, and Druze.