Jewish art Hits a Watershed

The 3rd Jerusalem Biennale for Contemporary Jewish Art, showcasing the work of nearly 200 professional artists – Israeli and international – in tens of exhibitions around the city, will take place from October 1 to November 16.

According to Jerusalem Biennale Founder Rami Ozeri, "the Jerusalem Biennale offers a unique encounter between contemporary art and Jewish thought, spirit, tradition and experience.

"This year's theme – Watershed – finds its expression in issues as varied as Jewish identity, immigration and refugees, alongside watershed moments in history such as the Balfour Declaration."

Several exhibitions and projects entitled People on the Move explore the watershed and life-shaping experience of moving from one place to another for individuals as well as communities. 

                                                    Work by Lenore Cohen (left) and Lili Almog (right)

These include Dreamland Never Found, where artists who emigrated from the Former Soviet Union as children address migration through childhood memories; Homelands, which examines the disbanding of Jewish communities throughout the Muslim world and 585,000 m2, in which Hungarian artists reflect upon the Jewish Quarter of Budapest's 7th district.

Visitors to the Tower of David Museum can enjoy two major Biennale exhibitions. Israeli artist-architect Avner Sher, in Alternative Topography, addresses city space in Jerusalem that is perpetually devolving.

Sher will build a large scale temporary structure next to the iconic tower, visible from the city.

The solo exhibition of Israeli photographer Lily Almog, entitled The Space Within, is not to be missed.

Israeli artists Micha Ullman, Efrat Natan, Hila Ben-Ari and Nechama Golan address Jewish issues of equality between the sexes in Adam: Created as Male and Female; French artists explore the texts of Rabbi Nachman of Bretslav in Back and Forth; and even the issue of Mamzerim is addressed through art.

Three exhibitions from the States include Flashpoints: A Collective Response, highlighting America's fractured soul, exposed subsequent to the presidential election; Jerusalem Between Heaven and Earth, addressing watershed issues related to Jerusalem and its topography and Jerusalem Artists in the New World, looking at Judaism's arrival into the New World.

Even the Balfour Declaration, a watershed in Zionist history, is explored by British artists.

■Information on venues, tickets, gallery talks and English language tours: www.jerusalembiennale.org