Art with an ethnic consciousness
Dana Gilerman
At first
glance, it is hard to understand the shared thread in all the works on display
in the "Oblivion and Memory" exhibition at the
The
exhibition has some critical pieces on discrimination against Middle Easterners
(such as Meir Gal's work, "9 out of 400"),
alongside ironic works (such as those by artist Arik Bukovza) depicting canonic
figures from the early days of Zionism. Some discernible subjects and images
are typical of Palestinian drawing by the young generation, but these elements
can be found in every contemporary art exhibition, be it Palestinian art,
Arab-Israeli, Ashkenazi, American or Middle Eastern.
The common
denominator lies in the name of the entire project, "Mizrahiyut and
Araviyut." The project, produced by the Sephardi Democratic Rainbow, an
advocacy group promoting rights of Sephardim and Mizrahim i.e., Jews of Middle
Eastern descent) and the Mossawa Advocacy Center for Arab Palestinian Citizens
of Israel in collaboration with the Community Centers Company and Omanut La'am
(Art for the People), features six exhibitions that opened this month and will
travel in the coming year all over the country.
There are 34
Palestinian and Middle Eastern artists featured in the exhibition, and all of
them consider the contexts of these two population groups. The exhibition that
opened in the Ashkelon community center deals with the question of identity:
the one in the Neveh Eliyahu community center considers the question of the
expanse; at the Kfar Kassem community center, an exhibition titled "Wound"
opened; at the Baka al-Gharabiyeh community center, an exhibition titled
"Roots" opened and in the Peki'in community center, an exhibition
titled "Encounter" opened. The curators are Shula Keshet, an artist
and social activist and the director of the feminist organization
"Ahoti" (my sister) and Zahad Harash, an artist and curator.
In recent
years, there have been quite a few exhibitions that focused on the matter of
Middle Easterness, cultural suppression and the culture of this group. Keshet
curated many of these exhibitions, including "Ahoti - Middle Eastern
Female Artists in Israel," which was shown at the Jerusalem Artists' House
(with Rita Mendes Flohr); the "Mizrahiyot" exhibition at the Ami
Steinitz gallery in Tel Aviv (where additional exhibitions on the subject were
shown); and the "Mizrahi Reading" exhibition featured in the lobby of
the Ministry of Education building in Tel Aviv.
Some two
years ago the Ein Harod Museum of Art featured "Mother Tongue," an
exhibition curated by Tal Ben-Zvi that angered some of the Mizrahi women
activists, who argued that an Ashkenazi curator could not curate an exhibition
dealing with Middle Easterness without working with a Middle Eastern curator.
The series of
exhibitions raises the question of whether or not the issue of the suppression
of Middle Easterners has yet to be fully covered. Keshet feels that this is far
from the case. "It is possible that it seems on the outside like a fad,
but not from our perspective, that of the Mizrahim," she argues. "It's
a subject that's far from being resolved. Nothing's really changed. Perhaps
there is more awareness, but if we don't continue the situation will revert
back to one of silencing."
Beyond
dealing with the subject of Middle Easterness, the project has another element
that was hardly discussed in the past, and here, too, it takes time to find it.
Keshet is referring to silencing and suppression, but not only of Middle
Easterners but also of the Palestinians. The connection between these two
groups is surprising and even somewhat contrary to the stereotypes of Middle
Eastern Jews as Arab-haters. "This perception is created by the media,
which zeroes in on the lone, Mizrahi protester who shouts `death to the
Arabs'," says Keshet, adding, "The truth is far from that. The Middle
Eastern Jews understand there is a connection between origins and suppression.
Now they have to comprehend how it also exists among other minority groups in
Israeli society. That's the hardest thing, to understand, that Middle
Easterners and Palestinians are fighting a shared battle."
But
nevertheless, the groups do not suffer the same suppression. The Middle Eastern
Jews are in a better place in the hierarchy. "Correct, but the two groups
suffer from racism against them. We live in a racist state, primarily toward
non-Jews, and then toward ethnic minorities. But there are other links and
connections between Middle Eastern Jews and Palestinians, with regard to
unemployment and lack of investment, both in education and in social affairs.
There are also cultural connections. Both of their identities derive from here,
from the
How is that
done in practice?
"Through the connection between Middle Eastern
and Palestinian artists, through the connection between a Mizrahi curator and
an Arab curator, through the connection between the two organizations that are
behind the project - the Sephardi Democratic Rainbow and the Mossawa
Center."
Why did you
choose the medium of art for a social battle?
"I proposed the project to the Sephardi
Democratic Rainbow, thinking that there, too, when they talk about social
issues, there is a broad approach. We don't talk only about economic
oppression, but also about cultural oppression. It's a whole array of
things."
It sounds
like all of these understandings belong more to the world of academia. How was
it actually received?
"Before I came to the places and community
centers, they told me that no one would want to hear about it, they said that
it's too soon to make the connection. People thought it would spark opposition
in the communities, settlements and community centers. But I'm glad to say that
the reality is completely different. In general, the grass roots are ahead of
academia. The grass roots is life itself and then
comes academia and runs the discussions in closed halls."
Why are all
the exhibitions shown in community centers?
"It's a matter of principle in my eyes, to
exhibit in a center that connects culture, art and community. Some people do
claim a community center is not an appropriate exhibition space, but that's
exactly the thing that we're coming out against. A gallery doesn't have to be a
sealed-off space. It can also exist in a place where there is continuous
activity. In general, one can already see the discrimination in the decision on
where to place art and culture. That's exactly why galleries and exhibition
spaces are only located in places aimed at the wealthy."
First
published in "Ha'aretz", 10.10.2005