Dear Rene,
On the 29 May 2013 at 19.30 in Beit Avi Chi Gallery in Jerusalem
there will be the opening of the poster exhibition “Deep in the Ground” of my students
from H.I.T and I am also the curator of this exhibition
The 'Deep in the Ground ' Exhibition presents the works of students in their second year at the Visual Communication Department of the Holon Institute of Technology. The theme of the exhibition is their relation to the J.N.F -the Jewish National Fund, which is commemorating its 111th year.
This is not a propaganda exhibition; the artists were exposed to the J.N.F as a historic and Zionist institution and examined its validity and relevance to the modern day State of Israel. They were given freedom to express various related messages – from expressions of admiration for the past and present achievements of the J.N.F, emphasis of its vital contribution in the establishment of the State and the redemption of its land, its endeavors in preserving the environment, land, forests and water reservoirs, and its presentation through a critical post-Zionist and controversial prism with regards to the manner in which it is operated and its gradual distancing from the objectives as formulated at its foundation.
The artists' attitude indeed oscillates between positive and negative, however some, while presented with the challenge of transmitting sharp, clear and focused messages which are explained and substantiated by facts, chose to deal with the issue in more complex and opposing manners.
The exhibition was initiated by BEIT AVI CHAI and the J.N.F Institute, in conjunction with the Holon Institute of Technology, and is the result of a workshop and seminar on the topic which took place with the cooperation and courtesy of the Jewish National Fund.
