.22Place.22.2C .22Concept.22 and .22Action.22 Visual arts in Israel

joshua neustein, gerard marx, georgette batlle, jerusalem river project , 1970



dani karavan

monument negev brigade, 1963-1968

beersheba



yitzhak danziger

serpentine, 1975

the yarkon park, tel aviv-yaffo



micha ullman

passage, 1982

israel museum, jerusalem



avital geva, greenhouse , ein-shemer kibbutz, israel

one of first projects carried out in israel under banner of conceptual art implemented sculptor joshua neustein. in 1970, neustein collaborated georgette batlle , gerard marx create jerusalem river project . in installation, in east jerusalem in dry wadi in abu tor neighborhood between st. clair monastery , nachal kidron (the kidron brook), taped water sounds projected out of speakers. imaginary river not created artistic environment outside boundaries of museum, hinted ironically @ concept of messianic redemption appeared after 6 day war in spirit of book of ezekiel (chapter 47) , book of zechariah (chapter 14).

this work can viewed indication of growing number of artists found out in middle of israeli landscape, under influence of american trend toward land art . many of these works expressed dialectical , ambiguous relationship iandscapes of land of israel , orient , in turn expressed increasing political criticism. in many works included metaphysical , ritual aspects, development , influence of caananite sculpture , abstraction of new horizons school can seen.

in art of yitzhak danziger, work had been dealing local landscapes years, conceptual aspect of israeli variation of land art expressed. danziger felt there need reconciliation , improvement in damaged relationship between man , environment. belief led him plan projects combined rehabilitation of sites ecology , culture. repair of landscape artistic event developed danziger in project rehabilitation of nesher quarry , on northern slopes of carmel mountains. project created collaboration between danziger, zeev naveh ecologist, , joseph morin soil researcher, attempted create, using various technological , ecological means, new environment among fragments of stone left in quarry. nature should not returned natural state , danziger contended. system needs found re-use nature has been created material entirely new concept . after first stage of project, attempt @ rehabilitation put on display in 1972 in exhibit @ israel museum.

another example of kind of experiment created in 1977 @ ceremony in 350 oak saplings planted in golan heights create space immortalizing fallen soldiers of egoz combat unit. danziger suggested emphasis of monument placed on view , on creation of site differed functional quality of memorial. concept implemented using ideas behind bedouin , palestinian ritual sites throughout land of israel, sites in trees used alongside graves of revered leaders ritual focus and, in danziger s words, bright swatches of cloth in blue , green hung branches […] driven spiritual need, people come hang these pieces of fabric on branches , make wish

in 1972 group of young artists in touch danziger , influenced ideas created group of activities became known metzer-messer in area between kibbutz metzer , arab village meiser in north west section of shomron. micha ullman, of youth both kibbutz , village, dug hole in each of communities , implemented exchange of symbolic red soil between them. moshe gershuni called meeting of kibbutz members , handed out soil of kibbutz metzer them there, , avital geva created in area between 2 communities improvised library of books recycled amnir recycling industries. artist influenced danziger s ideas igael tumarkin who, @ end of 1970s, created series of works entitled, definitions of olive trees , oaks , in created temporary sculpture around trees. danziger, tumarkin related in these works life forms of popular culture, particularly in arab , bedouin villages, , created them sort of artistic-morphological language, using impoverished bricolage methods. of works related not coexistence , peace, larger israeli political picture. in works such earth crucifixion (1981) , bedouin crucifixion (1982), tumarkin referred ejection of palestinians , bedouins lands, , created crucifixion pillars these lands.

another group operated in similar spirit, while @ same time emphasizing jewish metaphysics, group known leviathians , presided on avraham ofek, michail grobman, , shmuel ackerman. group combined conceptual art , land art jewish symbolism. of 3 of them avraham ofek had deepest interest in sculpture , relationship religious symbolism , images. in 1 series of works ofek used mirrors project hebrew letters, words religious or cabbalistic significance, , other images onto soil or man-made structures. in work letters of light (1979), example, letters projected onto people , fabrics , soil of judean desert. in work ofek screened words america , africa , , green card on walls of tel hai courtyard during symposium on sculpture.