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September 5, 2008
Israel part of global scene
Dalia Hakker-Orion talks about art, its nature and its impact.
OLGA LIVSHIN
To celebrate Israel's 60th birthday, the Vancouver Jewish community is going public. The celebration that started on Aug. 14 as an art exhibit at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCCGV) will spill out of the cozy community centre and land in Stanley Park, inviting the entire city to participate in the festivities.
Like many other ethnic celebrations, it's all about art, music and film. One of the attractions will be a slide presentation on the state of Israeli visual art, conducted by Dr. Dalia Hakker-Orion. In addition to the presentation at Stanley Park, she will also offer the same lecture in Hebrew at the JCCGV, as well as a talk called Art and the Holocaust at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, both on Sept. 11.
Hakker-Orion is a versatile talent – she's a painter and a speaker, a journalist and an exhibition curator, an author and a tour guide. Her paintings can be found in many public collections in Israel and abroad. She writes for Israeli art magazines and she wrote a book, Who is Afraid of Modern Art?, which is greatly respected on the Israeli art scene. She also travels a lot, but this will be her first visit to Vancouver.
The Jewish Independent spoke to Hakker-Orion about Israeli art and her place in it.
JI: What are your primary themes as an artist? What do you want to say with your art?
DHO: From an early age, I was exposed to art and I wanted to be able to create, like the big Russian artists. I was impressed by the prehistoric art and I always admired nature. My being an artist is, in part, a humble tribute to nature. I deal with the process of creation and try to create as nature, not to imitate. The themes that interest me most are creation, fractals, evolution, peace, eternity of art, ancient and modern. I create in order to create, not to say something.
JI: You're an artist, a journalist and a lecturer. How do all these personas coexist in one woman?
DHO: I like to embrace all aspects of art harmoniously and enjoy the benefits of each aspect: the direct connection with a lot of people as a lecturer; the opportunity to convey messages as an art critic; the possibility to give tools, open gates and enrich lives as a teacher; the more intimate contact of meeting with artists and interviewing them as a journalist; and the joy of creating as an artist.
JI: What do you think about modern artistic trends in Israel?
DHO: There are different tendencies, shown by the six big Israeli museums. The local issues are wrapped in modern technologies, a lot of video art, installations and performances, less local issues and more existential issues. An Israeli artist is a part of international, global village, so there is conceptual and neo-conceptual art. No more camels and palm trees but statements about political issues, the problems of gender, the Shoah, immigrants, etc.
JI: Tell me about Israeli art and the Holocaust.
DHO: There are several Israeli artists dealing with the Holocaust. Some experienced the Shoah themselves and, for them, art is a way to overcome the horrors of the period. The younger people experienced loss in their families and are trying to use art as a commemoration. For others, the Shoah is a pretext to display apocalyptic visions in general. For most of the artists, dealing with the Holocaust is a deep necessity....
JI: How do you see your place in Israeli art? You are popular. Do you like it?
DHO: My art is internationally oriented. I'm interested in nature, evolution, fractals, which are not local issues. Working in the field of art for so many years, with a lot of love, might've made me popular, but I'm not looking for the spotlights.
JI: Can you speak about Israeli art versus Jewish art?
DHO: The contemporary Israeli art is different, as it deals with human issues, while the Jewish art deals with religion and tradition.
JI: Can art influence life?
DHO: It would be nice if art could influence life, but until now it hasn't.
JI: Does Israeli weather influence art? What about the mix of people and cultures?
DHO: Israeli weather influenced art in the past, when new immigrants from Europe and other northern countries encountered the harsh light. They dealt with the Israeli light differently: some avoided it and went out to paint only early in the morning and in the late afternoon, others confronted it bravely and depicted the harsh contrasts between light and darkness in their paintings. The mix of people gives way to a variety of styles and attributions and to the questions of language and communications. The search for a "house" or "home" is a common subject in Israeli art.
JI: Does being an artist require a sense of humor?
DHO: A sense of humor is a must for everybody. I think that everybody is an artist, but some people express this ability "full time," others only "part time" and the rest not at all.
JI: What do you think about recent initiatives that bring together Jews and Palestinians?
DHO: I think every attempt to bring peace to the Middle East or anywhere in the world is blessed. There are artists dealing with these issues, but, as I said before, until now, these issues haven't been solved by artists.
Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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