Art World for Israel - Newsletter #5

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Database Goes Live

- 7 Exhibitions and Events Across Tel Aviv 8 - 9 Exhibitions and Events Worldwide 10 - 13 Interview with Israeli Artist and Activist Ronit Levin Delgado

16 Your Invitation to Travel to Israel with Artist Alejandro Glatt Awaits

Art World for Israel's Database of Available Works by Zionist Artists Goes Live

In Art World for Israel's (AWFI) ongoing dedication to promote Zionist artists, a database has been created of artworks available for immediate purchase. This initiative, led by curator Tamar Arnon, furthers AWFI's objective of increasing artist visibility and patronage while simplifying the process of acquisition for collectors.

To learn more about the works, please contact the artist or the representing gallery directly via information provided in the database, now live on the newly launched AWFI website. Information on how to be included in forthcoming updates is also available on the website.

Details:

Visit the AWFI Available Artworks Database here.

EXHIBITIONS · ISRAEL

FRIEDRICH KUNATH, “LOOKING BACK, I SHOULD’VE BEEN HOME MORE”

FRIEDRICH KUNATH ON VIEW AT NASSIMA LANDAU , TEL AVIV

Friedrich Kunath’s first solo exhibition in Tel Aviv, I Need Solitude, But I Also Need You at Nassima Landau in Tel Aviv, is currently on view through June 21.

The show is a journey through Kunath's inspirations and biography, featuring semi-fantastical landscapes that blend reality and fiction. The twilight hues and melancholic tones suggest a nostalgic atmosphere, often including a recurring lonesome figure wandering through the scenes.

Kunath, a German-born, Los Angelesbased artist, skillfully utilizes German romanticism imbued with pop culture references resulting in works that are both playful yet contemplative. Don't miss the six-meter-long triptych, "Looking Back, I Should’ve Been Home More."

Learn about the artist and exhibition at Nassima Landau here.

EXHIBITIONS · ISRAEL

ARTISTS TO BENEFIT CCA, TEL AVIV-YAFO

On a Silver Platter: Artists to Benefit the Center for Contemporary Art (CCA) is a special fundraising exhibition celebrating CCA Tel Aviv-Yafo's the 25th anniversary. The exhibition is on view until May 31.

Since its 1998 founding, CCA has been a beacon for artists, nurturing their artistic vision and fostering lasting relationships. Curated by Nicola Trezzi and Guy Bernard

Reichmann, the exhibition features past and current CCA artists and includes an edition of CCA's "out-of-office" program, showcasing performances in the Marc Schimmel Multipurpose Gallery.

Preview Exhibition Catalog here. Learn about CCA Tel Aviv-Yafo here.

EXHIBITIONS · ISRAEL

SARAH MEITAL BENJAMIN AT ARTISTS' STUDIOS, TEL AVIV FROM EROSION TO HOPE

Sarah Meital Benjamin’s forthcoming exhibition, The Hour Between Dog and Wolf opens in Tel Aviv at Artists’ Studios on May 23 at 8 pm.

The evening will showcase an installation, performance and screening of Benjamin’s film Arava, for which the artist casted over thirty Israeli teens from all walks of life.

This exhibition follows Sarah Meital Benjamin’s first solo exhibition Rosewater, also shown in Tel Aviv.

Follow Sarah Meital Benjamin on Instagram here.

Learn about Tel Aviv Artists' Studios here.

From Erosion to Hope is a healing exhibition organized by artist, curator and therapist Hannah Rothschild. As a PTSD specialist, Rothschild regularly travels to the South of Israel to treat October 7th survivors. Shortly post 10/7, she saw Israeli flags lining a road. She came to learn that Israeli civilian Yonathan Rotem would replace any damaged flags, keeping the eroded ones for genizah , a Jewish tradition of burying holy objects.

For this exhibition, Rotschild borrowed Rotem's damaged flag collection, inviting a hundred artists to heal them with their art. Their works are for sale with proceeds supporting Bring Them Home Now!, an organization advocating for the hostages and their families. The exhibition is scheduled to open at the Mevaseret Mall in Tel Aviv on August 5.

Follow Hannah Rothschild here

ARTPORT'S EPIC ART BOOK FAIR OPENS IN TEL AVIV IN JUNE

Artport's Art Book Fair, the largest of its kind in Israel, opens the first week of June with more than 200 artists and over 400 books to explore. Attendees can join artist conversations, panels and book launches, alongside art performances, fanzines and other surprises.

Amidst the pain and the devastation brought on by October 7, this event is intended to bring people together. Books and art provide inspiration through creativity, serving as a brief refuge

and anchor for all those impacted. The fair aims to provide visitors with an opportunity to step out and inside their own imagination.

Calendar: Wednesday, June 5: 6pm-10pm Thursday, June 6: 12pm-10pm Friday, June 7: 10am-4pm Saturday, June 8: 10am-6pm

Learn about Artport's Art Book Fair here.

EXHIBITIONS TAIWAN

HAT-TRICK, CURATED BY TAMAR ARNON AND ELI ZAGURY, NOW OPEN AT LIN & LIN GALLERY, TAIWAN

British independent curators Tamar Arnon and Eli Zagury present Hat-Trick, a three-artist exhibition at Lin & Lin Gallery in Taipei. The exhibition features international contemporary painters Leonhard Hurzlmeier, Jordan Kasey, and Veronika Pausova, marking their first showcase in this region.

The artists' oeuvre range from abstract to figurative painting, exploring contemporary life through poetic and bold compositions of portraits, body parts and still life elements.

The exhibition runs through June 18

Visit the gallery online and read the curatorial statement here.

ARTIST TOMER PERETZ'S WEST HOLLYWOOD INSTALLATION BRINGS VISIBILITY TO FEMALE ISRAELI HOSTAGES

#theytookher is a new sculptural installation by Israeli artist Tomer Peretz in collaboration with Artists 4 Israel and apparel brand Paul Smith.

Set in front of Paul Smith's flagship "pink wall" in West Hollywood, Peretz's installation is a jarring representation of the trousers worn by Naama Levy, a 19-year-old Israeli girl kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. A Video of Naama in bloody sweatpants as she is dragged by her hair and forced into a jeep was released by Hamas after the massacre. Naama is still held captive by Hamas.

Peretz's sculpture carries an undeniable public message: Bring Them Home Now.

Artists 4 Israel is an organization that uses art to rehabilitate those impacted by terror, while supporting public installations that give visibility to hostages held by Hamas. They have provided thousands of "Healing Arts Kits" to children dealing with PTSD post 10/7. Their advocacy work fosters connections between artists and the land of Israel.

Learn more about the project and donate to Artists 4 Israel here.

Artist Ronit Levin Delgado On Art and Activism After October 7

Ronit’s art pulses with sensation and sentiment, weaving with threads of intensity and inquiry alongside our shared tapestry of heritage and tradition. Her exhibitions— whether it be One Nation, ACTIVATE: a New York’s Women Perspective, her immersive performance October Rain, or the evocatively curated BEWITCHED & BEWILDERED — they all invite the audience into a participatory dance of exploration. To engage with Ronit’s work is to accept an invitation to query, to be enchanted, and ultimately, to connect not only with the art but with ourselves. Her art acts as a conduit, a return to roots, self, and the natural rhythms that influence our everyday life.

I discovered Ronit on my Instagram feed, which significantly shifted my digital and real-world landscapes post October 7th.

Suddenly, every poetic verse and brushstroke became a reflection of our Jewish identity, echoing the tumult and conversations surrounding our people and our Nation. In this shared space of a creative collective, WE, as artists, mirror the essence of what Ronit captures in her vivid imagination and expressive self. Her art not only represents but actively engages in the dialogue of our times, pulling us into a collective journey of perception and acceptance.

LKE: Can you briefly tell us about yourself and your background?

After studying in Israel where I am from, I came to the States as a Fulbright Scholar. As a multidisciplinary visual and performance artist I have been showing in galleries and museums. I really enjoy

INTERVIEW

collaborations, putting on shows and have also curated exhibitions.

I am a daughter of two immigrants. My mom, Larisa, escaped antisemitism in Communist Moldova and came in the second aliyah to Israel which was one of the largest at the time. She arrived by boat, only two people were sent to the “left” and they came to Israel, the rest of the refugees ended up in the United States. My father Julio was Paraguayan, half Jewish. I am also part Native American, Guarani from his side of the family. He was the lead singer and songwriter of Los Tres Paraguayos band and had a beautiful opera voice and played guitar. Paraguay really respects Jewish people, that is why his band went to Israel to perform and that's how he met my mother. They got married and remained in Israel. My art touches on my Jewish identity which is so inherent and deeply rooted in me, and in all of us as a nation, with all our rich history and culture.

LKE: Since October 7 you have done a lot of work to support Israel and the Jewish people. Tell us about some of your projects.

As artists, it is our role, our super power, to use art as a voice, to amplify our message. Even before October 7th, I always incorporated my Jewish identity in my art. I also raised awareness for feminist art, social justice and climate change, those subjects and themes are always weaved in my work. And because I am a multidisciplinary performance artist, a lot of my art is interactive, connecting with the audience. I was an artist resident at Lower Manhattan Council of the Arts, a prestigious artist residency in NYC. I was coming in everyday, working on my two shows, one was for the Jerusalem Biennale, but after October 7th, I could not do any work, I was paralyzed. It started with a week, then two, then weeks went by where I couldn't get out of my house. My family is all in Israel and I was all alone. Not one out of the twenty two artists in the residency reached out to see

INTERVIEW

if I was ok, except the other two Jews in the group. I was disappointed with how people around me were responding to the horrific events, there is just so much misinformation that spreads hate.

I have Jewish friends but the majority of my friends are artists who are not Jewish, mostly liberal, leftist, and of course, I kept losing friends just because of where I come from. After weeks of feeling extremely isolated, I tried to work and get out of depression and isolation and fortunately, through a friend, I was introduced to Nitzan Mintz who is one of the artists who created the kidnapped posters. I started helping and hanging them up, doing advocacy work with them. We gathered in Union Square, at different places around NYC, organizing small groups which then grew larger and larger, like the Bring Them Home activists. It

was so incredible to see what was happening, everybody coming together, B’Yachad, finally I felt like I was part of a community again, that we can heal together.

This is when I realized that I wasn't really doing art but I was becoming an activist. Activism is language and so is Art. I had a realization, why not connect the two. So I became an “artivist.” I went back to my studio and found myself inspired by the same materials I was using in my activism work. I suddenly felt like I wanted to use them in my art, glues, sprays, posters. And so I created a poster installation with these materials, but got a lot of backlash from artists who were calling my work offensive, saying that artists are now forced to look at something that makes them feel uncomfortable. After that I created other #BringThemHome performances, such as on Governors Island

INTERVIEW

and in a Chelsea Art Festival , which has almost 2 million views on Brainard Carey’s page. I recently did a live art painting event with Heermance in upstate New York. In addition, I received a distinguished grant from COJECO and Mayor Eric Adams, and am also curating an exhibition on antisemitism, which is taking place June 9 at 81 Leonard Street, NYC.

LKE: Where do you see the art world going?

It's devastating right now. When interviewed for a German magazine, I was explaining that as an artist I always made a point to strip down all sorts of identity labels and wanted to just be an artist, but now I feel like I am being forced, even by the art world, to not only put all my identities back on but to fight for them, even through my art. I feel like I must now connect all my art to my Jewish identity because it is so important right now. The alarming rise in antisemitism is forcing many artists to feel this way while also feeling quite isolated. The art world is divided by politics and the question is how did this happen? The art world stood by other minority groups but they don't really stand with the Jewish people, I think it has a lot to do with guilt and blind hate. The world wants us to go back to where we come from, where is that? I also think that Americans and Europeans have a lot of their own guilt. And if art is going to be political and divided into groups, and split then I don't know what its future will be. Before October 7, I tried to make my art genderless, apolitical, without boundaries, exploring the idea of joy and connectivity. Now I am forced into a very tight space.

LKE: What is your favorite form of art as a multidisciplinary performance artist?

I really love working with mixed media where I can explore and experiment with different materials and an interactive performance art that engages people because for me art is all about the shared experience and evoking feelings. I like to create objects and also include other elements such as sounds and smells. To me, Art should make us think and feel, be immersive and tangible.

LKE: What are some projects you are currently working on?

As I mentioned, my art has shifted so there was a show that just finished called ACTIVATE: a New York’s Women Perspective at the Jerusalem Biennale. I am a board member of the Jewish Arts Salon and we have an upcoming art show, Artists on Antisemitism at 81 Leonard Gallery in Tribeca, about antisemitism after October 7 from International artists, we will be doing a collaboration with Israeli artists. I am also very excited to participate again at this year’s Chashama Gala , which will be an interactive installation performance that will be apolitical, on June 20th in Midtown Manhattan. •

AVIV BENN'S CIRCLE, CIRCLE, CIRCLE

London-based Israeli artist Aviv Benn created Circle, Circle, Circle in response to October 7, exploring how death is defined following the brutality of the massacre.

The painting will be showcased in the group exhibition Fight, Flight, or Freeze by Kafka Projects, and will be on display until May 25 at Pictorem Gallery, 383 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17 9AP, UK.

Learn about Aviv Benn’s practice here.

Learn about the group exhibition Fight, Flight Or Freeze here.

MEET ARTIST KATY HIRSCHFELD LEINOFF

U.S.-based mixed media artist Katy Hirschfeld Leinoff's works “feature different cultural commentary, viewed through the lens of personal experiences, culled from social consciousness and the current events of today.”

The artist, in collaboration with students from her daughter’s class, used clippings from classroom art to create the above featured work. Hirschfeld Leinoff's style is typically playful and brightly colored. Past projects include collaboration with Israeli singer-songwriter and musician, Idan Raichel. She has exhibited her works around the U.S.

Learn more about Katy Hirschfeld Leinoff’s practice here.

See one of the pieces done for Idan Raichel here.

A WIN FOR ISRAELI MUSIC IN AMSTERDAM

Concertgebouw of Amsterdam's General Manager, Simon Reinink, reverted the decision to postpone the Jerusalem Quartet’s concert. The postponment followed a wave of complaints to de-platform the Israeli musicians. However, the concert was rescheduled, and took place on May 18.

“Every concert must be able to go ahead. The Concertgebouw fully supports its mission to connect and enrich everyone with sublime music, regardless of background, religion, culture or any distinction. We must continue to stand up for the free society we want to be. Every day,” Reinink said.

Learn about the Jerusalem Quartet here.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS TO SEE BAR MARKOVICH PLAY IN LONDON IN JUNE

Join the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation UK (IPO), for an evening of classical and Israeli music, featuring a concert with internationally renowned Israeli violinist Bar Markovitch.

Proceeds raised will go towards the IPO Foundation UK and projects to support those affected by the war in Israel.

Event Details: June 19, 2024, 7-9pm Notting Hill Restaurant, London

Contact the IPO Foundation UK to book your ticket.

ART + TRAVEL

FOR THE LOVE OF ISRAEL...AND PAPAYAS,

YOUR EPIC ADVENTURE WITH ARTIST ALEJANDRO GLATT AWAITS

Spend two weeks in Israel on a summer trip organized by artist Alejandro Glatt in collaboration with Sachlav Israel and Taglit-Birthright Israel.

20 young professionals, artists and content creators, ages 25 and up will have the opportunity to come together for an inspiring and creative program this August, centered around art, music, adventure and Glatt's signature enthusiasm for papayas.

Trip Dates: August 12-25, 2024

For those interested in participating, there are a few more spots available.

Send a message to Alejandro Glatt here for more information.

If you would like to suggest a feature or contribute an interview or art review to the AWFI Newsletter please email: Artworldforisrael@gmail.com