ON INSTAGRAM LIVE
ON INSTAGRAM LIVE
Exhibition Description
Feeling threatened by terror in your own country is something no one should have to bear. In Israel Jewish people and Arab citizens live side by side in a delicate coexistence.
In May 2021 the balance was broken and peaceful life was disrupted. During this time Aya experienced the delicate balance turning to fear. Many of the Arab citizens blocked roads and burned car tires in main junctions, locking Jewish citizens in their own villages. Aya and her family were besieged in their home, not able to leave because of the riots and the rocks that were thrown at cars that tried to pass. Her deep belief in coexistence was shaken as she collected remnants from the events.
Meanwhile in Dallas, Tamar Navama experienced anti-Semitism in what she believes is a ripple effect of what was shown in the media, and a reflection of the Jewish people being a minority in the world population.
We believe all sides of this conflict are born as victims to this long-time narrative that feeds into each generation.
Through the use of local materials such as burnt tires and rocks in our jewelry and objects, we are presenting the current situation and placing these objects in a different context as part of the Israeli everyday view. Material holds a memory; we are capturing the moment and preserving it into utilitarian objects to keep its existence.
Ruins | Aya Schein | 2021
In my brooches, the rocks are shelled, emptied of their weight, remaining fragile, just like the stories we tell and unlike solid rocks thrown in violence.
Our history forms our identity, creatIng the stories we tell ourselves to justify the way we feel and act. History is created by many points of view and varies depending on the facts we emphasize and from which point of view we tell the story.
Between the Jews and the Arabs in Israel stands the question of “who has the right over this land?” Ruins of settlements, synagogues, and mosques become proofs and justifications to each other's rights.
Trace Bracelets | Tamar Navama | 2021
The bracelets and their materials juxtapose the conflict and feelings I experience living here in Israel. The frightening price of being a democracy. The ironic choice to share our land and support the Arabs living here, along with the constant fear of losing everything.
One bracelet holds local rocks from the Galilee. Each stone is placed carefully in the interior creating a subtle threat to hurt the wearer. This piece represents the risk one must take when living in his own country.
The second bracelet contains remnants of car tires that were collected after being burned during the riots. A reminder of what happened and what the future holds.
Although the outside is clean and shiny, the bracelet leaves black marks on your skin. Fine metal wrapping the ash on your body, hiding the dirt but leaving black marks. This represents the contrast between the reality of what is happening in Israel compared with what is shown in the media. And while most of the world is not seeing the actual events, antisemitism is spreading.
Center point | Aya Schein | 2021
Religions, as I believe, were brought to our lives by strong inspired and spiritual people to better us as individuals and as a community. I feel great pain to witness the mass of violence, hate, prejudgment, and terrorism that is being executed in their name. Whenever there is tension in Jerusalem, our neighbors, here in the Galilee, stop seeing us as their friendly neighbors, and see us as "Jews"- the enemy.
Suddenly, we become a punching bag and that is being legitimated by the press around the world.
Landscape | Aya Schein | 2021
The mountains landscape in the galilee is eternal, and at the same time is the starting point, a place people came to and settled. Nations come and go, it feels that the only one that is indifferent to them is the land itself.
I created the shape of the mountains, the height lines, from the wires that were exposed from the burned tires used to block my village, an act of violence that exposed the harsh feelings my Arab neighbors holds against us. By that I tried to bring myself to a starting point from which I will be able to go back to the fragile balance of coexisting, to find the humanity in me not to react in violence to violence and see my neighbors as individuals.
Temple of Violence
It is very easy to make violence an attractive and heroic thing to do, the few and weak goes against the strong and wealthy. It fits a pattern that feels so right to support, but it the reality when it hurts innocent people? Do we really accept violence in our homes? Is there an admirable violence, glorified violence?
Links & Contributors
Nitzan - Editing and conceptual development
Jessica Moszynski - Graphics & sweetness overload
Hadas Saar - Exhibition Name & always being professional
Yaar Daniel - Photographing under pressure
Bella Neyman & JB Jhones - The NYCJW queens
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