The Jerusalem House of Quality will host an art exhibition featuring the work of 10 artists, nine of whom are Messianic believers, and are all immigrants who – after transitioning from their lives in other cultures – have integrated into Israeli society and the creative life here.
Appropriately themed, In Transition, במעבר, (BaMa’avar) the exhibit will span two weeks — two distinct shows each featuring the work of five of the 10 exhibitors — beginning Dec. 23.
“Transition is a constant factor in our lives and communities,” explains an exhibit promotional piece. “In Hebrew there are various words expressing ideas to do with the process of changing from one state to another, to move on from something old or difficult, for the better or the worse. Or, as in the Hebrew word ma’avar, to cross over or to pass through.”
The first week of the exhibit will feature the diverse talents and interpretive works of Rolf Danielson, Marc de Klijn, Henny van Hartingsveldt, Diana Shimon and Brigitta Yavari-Ilan. Artists Mike Bayliss, Baruch Maayan, Itamar Siani, Martha Stern and Dima Tretyakov will be featured in the second exhibit beginning Dec. 30.
“I, Rolf and others share a burden to bring artists together for promoting their work, networking and mutual support,” Bayliss told Kehila News Israel. “Most of us work on our own, some are still wrestling, in light of the times in which we live, with how we justify spending our days splashing paint on bits of canvas and playing around with lumps of clay. Recently, some of us have been meeting together in homes for fellowship and sharing new work.”
Danielson, a painter originally from Malmö, Sweden who studied at the Avni Institute of Art and Design, had a solo show at The Jerusalem House of Quality about a year ago, Bayliss said.
The upcoming exhibit was originally booked at the same venue for one show, but the participants soon realized it would be best to spread the exhibit over two shows which would give all the artists involved the opportunity to show more work.
Some interesting works that will be on exhibit in the first show are from married artists de Klijn and van Hartingsveldt. A sculptress, van Hartingsveldt will present three sculptures and an installation dealing with her experiences of aliyah, while husband de Klijn, who has been working on the theme of the Shoah (Holocaust) for 10 years, is also showing other work related to the history of the Jewish people.
“After working for a long time as a potter I started to make more expressive ceramic works, sometimes in combination with other materials,” van Hartingsveldt said. “In 1989 I stopped definitively producing utility goods and concentrated completely on sculptures.
“My inspiration arises from the Bible and from emotionally moving events. Before we made aliyah I was working on the Shoah for some years, just like my husband, but now subjects such as ‘Tikvah’ (Hope), ‘Ruins into Light’ and ‘Lightbearers’ have become more important. In this country we need hope and light.”
“In this country we need hope and light.”
In the second show, animator will present a seven-minute animation entitled God Is Kidding.
“The film illustrates an eternal philosophical question rooted in our subconscious and talks about God and faith through the imagination of children,” according to Treyakov. “As the film bases itself on interviews with children from the different sectors of Israeli society, we get a wide array of world views represented through the different images of God. Animation makes the subject more approachable for all ages and helps us find the added value of the film through the magical world of children’s imagination.”
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and become familiar with all the artists at the shows. Artists displaying in the first exhibit will be available individually Sunday, Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. and those featured in the second exhibit on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 8 p.m.
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In Transition, במעבר will take place at the Jerusalem House of Quality, 12 Hebron Road (Phone: +972.2.671.7430)
Exhibit I: Dec. 23-30
Artists: Rolf Danielson, Marc de Klijn, Henny van Hartingsveldt, Diana Shimon and Brigitta Yavari- Ilan
Exhibit Times: Sunday – Thursday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Saturday: Noon – 9 p.m.
Meet the Artists: Sunday, Dec. 23 at 8 p.m.
Exhibit II: Dec. 30-Jan. 6
Artists: Mike Bayliss, Baruch Maayan, Itamar Siani, Martha Stern and Dima Tretyakov
Exhibit Times: Sunday – Thursday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Saturday: Noon – 9 p.m.
Meet the Artists: Sunday, Dec. 30 at 8 p.m.
