The exhibition Regional ID explores the relationship between the self and their defined geographic locale. It tackles the question: Is there such a thing as 'regional identity?’ This query is timely as part of an emerging regional conceptualism sought by The Partnership for Regional Sustainability, an entity created for the purpose of fostering broader, safer, and more inclusive geographic space that functions better for its residents and for the environment.
For the past three years, The Partnership has been working in an area that includes Zikhron Yaakov, Binyamina - Givat Ada, Jiser EL Zarka, and the regional councils of Alona and Hof HaCarmel. These five municipalities joined Ramat Hanadiv, with the goal of combining forces, to creatively deal with regional challenges.
This collaboration was created out of the understanding that sustainability is a universal topic, which crosses municipal boundaries, and requires a broadening of local geographic and municipal entities into a multifaceted heterogeneous regional quilt.
The exhibition features 63 works of art, spread over seven outdoor sites throughout The Partnership's region. Visitors who journey, or just meander among the different sites, receive an experience that enables them to meet a variety of individual local identities; an artist from Ein Hod, another from Kibbutz Maagan Michael, an artist from the Arab village of Jiser EL Zarka, or from Moshav Amiqam. By showcasing the artists' varied interpretations of the show's theme, Regional ID offers a vibrant and provocative tapestry of local identities.
About the curatorial process:
Curatorial choices and texts arose from visits to the artists' studios in an effort to capture and accurately reflect their thinking and artistic processes. The original artworks were then photographed and printed as outdoor banners, ensuring durability and free and wide access for visitors, thereby providing the artists a public, democratic platform through which to communicate with their regional, local communities, as well as visitors from outside the region.
For the period of the exhibition, The Partnership also offers multiple curated programs, which bring together the artists and the community. Furthermore, as an extension of the exhibition, after its dismantling, the actual banners will be re-used through community studio workshops, and made into a variety of utilitarian objects. These recycled objects: bags, planters, and more, will go back to the region's homes and communities, thus modelling sustainable practices as community builders.
Curator: Tamar Arbel-Elisha
Gallery
2016, Photograph
Asking for a place
Alchemy 1, 2014, mixed media acrylic turds and molding paste, 120*80 cm
Hagiva Street ,April 2015,photograph
Fields in Aviel, 2016, oil on canvas, 50*70 cm
Alchemy 2, 2014, mixed media: acrylic turds, molding paste, 120*80 cm
Goats in the Yard, 2010, photo collage, 50*60 cm
Untitled, 2007, handmade paper, cotton, banana and strawberry paper, 72*72 cm
The Gift, 2015, Dry Pastels on Paper, 40*58 cm
Untitled, 2013, handmade paper, cotton, banana and strawberry paper,60*180 cm
6*6*5
Underwater Memories, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 30*30 cm
My Childhood Landscapes,2016 Oil on Canvas, 30*30 cm
Path, 2015, Ready-made, wood and old papers and ink drawing 45*54 cm
Moon between the Tree and The Turret, 2016, oil and acrylic on canvas, 50*60 cm
Hagiva Street ,March 2017, photograph
Exhibition sites
Artists
Contact Us
Curator: Tamar Elisha-Arbel | Editing: Yaron David
Arabic Translation: Samah Rushrush | English Translation: Mayrav Fisher
Graphic Design: Liron Talmor| Production: Eden Productions
Website Design + Creation: Sarit Hermon