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August 22, 2008
Two countries united by art
Art exhibit highlights solidarity between Canada and Israel.
OLGA LIVSHIN
The new international art exhibit Israel@60!, which opened on Aug. 14 at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, demonstrated that art knows no boundaries. The opening night was a festive, bilingual affair, attended by at least 200 guests. Thirty-four participating artists represented two countries, Canada and Israel, but nobody could tell which opus was created where. A common theme – the beauty of Israel and pride for her people – united 19 Canadian artists with their 15 Israeli counterparts.
Besides the artists, several hard-working women had co-ordinated their time and effort to bring the show to life. Reisa Schneider, the cultural arts director of the gallery, was the author of the idea to celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary with a group show. Pnina Granirer, one of the participating artists, came up with the concept of a dual Canadian-Israeli exhibition. Granirer introduced Schneider to Israeli Zina Bercovici, who is not only an artist but also an art curator and an entrepreneur. While Schneider organized the Canadian part of the show, Bercovici liaised with 12 Israeli artists and shipped their pieces to Vancouver.
Their hard labor resulted in a vibrant vernissage. Paintings and sculptures decorated the brightly lit gallery. Wine donated by Norman Gladstone of International Cellars flowed. Words in English and Hebrew mingled together, as the crowd mulled around the gallery, spilling into the lounge, partaking of the refreshments, chatting and laughing. Musical performance by Israeli singer Inbal and members of her ensemble the Fifth Wind reinforced the sparkling atmosphere of an art jubilee.
Artists in attendance talked about their creations and the importance of Israel in their lives. Bercovici's canvas "Jerusalem," golden like the famous Israeli song "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav," is a painting permeated with love. "Art speaks for itself," she said. "It needs no explanation."
Haviva Zemach, another Israeli, presented a glass sculpture "Genesis," based on the biblical myth of creation. Multiple shades of blue, from midnight to azure, writhe and curve inside the indigo-blue oval of the sculpture, made of six layers of glass.
"I want to thank everyone in Vancouver for their hospitality," Zemach said with feeling. Her journey to Canada was an adventure. She brought her sculpture to Vancouver herself, in her carry-on. The stone base for the sculpture travelled in her suitcase, which was lost at customs. It took 24 hours before the suitcase was found, but she wasn't alone during those nerve-wracking hours.
Aurel Stan, a local glass artist, met Zemach at the airport and helped her tremendously. Stan's marvelous glass chanukiyah in the middle of the gallery highlighted the Jewish spirit of generosity.
Two other local artists and former Israelis – Granirer and Rina Vizer – also welcomed their Israeli guests, showing them around Vancouver. Granirer's painting "Eilat," an expressive portrait of an Israeli dancer, bursts with color. "This Israeli woman hiding behind her own hands symbolizes her quest for openness and her endless appetite for life," said Granirer.
In contrast to the vibrant colors of "Eilat," Vizer's painting "Sabra 08" offers a pastel palette. "It's a metaphorical piece," Vizer said. Combining a stylized Israeli map from a pushka box with a cactus – a prickly plant with a sweet, juicy fruit – the painting echoes Vizer's images of Israel and Israelis. She herself was born only three days after her mother moved to Israel. "I'm Sabra," the artist said. "Israel is part of my identity."
Iris Aglom, a jeweller from Vancouver, presented the silver "Cup of Hope." The cup has four handles in shapes evocative of four major religions: a Star of David, a Christian cross, a Muslim crescent and a figure of Buddha. "We all drink the same water from the same cup,"
the artist said.
Jocelyne Halle's photo "Shuk Ha-Carmel" is highly symbolic, despite being a photograph. It shows a kippa stall in the Tel Aviv public market. "There are so many different kippas there," Halle said with a smile, recalling her recent trip to Israel. "For all the different kinds of people." And the clocks above the battalions of kippas keep time in timeless Israel.
Another symbolic piece – by Saul L. Miller – is called "Not Kosher." The artist's satiric brush laughs at our enemies, rendered as a phalange of belligerent pigs. "A 60-year history of keeping piggies out of the garden," Miller said.
Different emotions dominate different artists. Lone Tratt's "Memorial to Immigrants" pays tribute to those who have made Israel their home over the years. Sidi Schaffer's "Kings and Queens of the Desert" is infused with nostalgia, depicting old Jaffa with its amalgam of modern and ancient. Side by side with Ralph Moscovitch's statue "Daughter of the Desert," which is breathing fierce pride in our heritage, Daniela Ament's "The Reading Solicitor" is a joke in bronze. And while Sylvia Richman's "Jerusalem Walls" is a very personal and emotional piece, Gaby Tsur-Chitayat's abstract "Sea Storm" is an explosion of triumphant scarlet.
Thirty-four artists in the exhibit, 34 different visions of Israel, all bound by their deepest love for the small country with a big heart. Miriam Cahn summarized their feelings in her photo of Hebrew graffiti on a Tel Aviv wall. The photo is called "Say it Loud, Say it Proud." The artist said. "Where else but in Israel would you find such positive and affirming graffiti ... 'The People of Israel Live.'"
The exhibit runs until Sept. 14.
Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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