15.11.2022 - 31.05.2023

Karam Natour
Karam Natour
It appears that ‘Man’, renowned and acclaimed, is a category within itself, consisting of natural timeless characteristics. Perceiving Man as ‘The First Sex’ determines the norms and standards by which humanity is defined. In recent years, there is an increasing preoccupation with the concept of masculinity and the ongoing changes influenced by social processes, evolutions in feminist field, and the struggle for gender equality. This places the dominant male ethos into a process of dismantlement and reassembling, thus affecting the ideals and stereotypes structuring its hegemonic position in society and culture today.
The exhibition seeks to observe contemporary representations of masculinity as it intersects with other aspects – ethnic, socioeconomic, religious, sexual – of personal and collective identity, while tracing different rituals, models, and patterns of masculinity, especially in its local contexts. Through the unique works of artists from the last two decades, simultaneously touching on masculine myths as well as everyday reality, the exhibition spans a range of intriguing views – parodic, melancholic, intimate, critical – presenting masculinity in its multitude of manifestations, full of contradictions and complexity.
The exhibition was inspired by the research and film project "Masculinities in Israel",
which was initiated, produced and carried out by the Heinrich Boell Foundation, launched at Tel Aviv Cinematheque.
To view the entire project visit:
https://il.boell.org/en/masculinities-israel
Project lead: Romy Shapira
Research and production: Romy Shapira, Anat Saragusti
Curator, Shahar Shalev
Consulting Curator:
Dr. Shir Aloni Yaari
Fouad Agbaria
Vered Aharonovitch
Oreet Ashery
Merav Kamel & Halil Balabin
Noa Klagsbald
Jossef Krispel
Roni Landa
Shahar Marcus
Daniella Meroz
Navot Miller
Karam Natour
Eli Petel
Roee Rosen
Lital Rubinstein
Yael Ruhman
Yonatan Ullman
Yael Yudkovik
Tamir Zadok
28.03.2023 - 31.05.2023

The Jerusalem Syndrome
Videos from the Library of "Looking for Jesus" by Katarzyna Kozyra
The “Jerusalem Syndrome” is an acute delusional disorder that affects tourists and pilgrims visiting Jerusalem. Those afflicted with the syndrome tend to identify with Biblical characters from the Old and New Testament, believing that they arrived at the Holy Land out of a vocation or mission of a religious or political nature.
The syndrome was the starting point for Katarzyna Kozyra’s decade-long art project “Looking for Jesus” presented in this exhibition. The artist’s fascination with the phenomenon has motivated her to conduct several research trips to Jerusalem, in order to find those who believe themselves to be Messiahs.
The result is a rich archive of interviews with extraordinary individuals from different origins and walks of life, self-declared prophets and apostles seeking to escape the established, institutionalized framework of faith and practice their own theologies. It is also a portrait of the city which serves as the background for diverse religious rituals, and a scene for people of various creeds, denominations and colours. The exhibition, which includes a library of videos and a full-length documentary film, is not merely about religion, but rather how belief changes our perspective of reality, what are the ways and means of carrying out one's faith, and its place and role in today's world.
Oscillating between an investigative exploration and philosophical contemplation, the work is also a travel journal, reflecting the artist’s personal journey, as the sense of curiosity that initiated her artistic expedition gradually gives way to a strong attachment to the people and narratives she encounters.
A leading figure of contemporary art in Poland, Kozyra is internationally renowned for her taboo-breaking self-portraits and artistic actions that deal with the body, gender politics, and the boundaries between art and life. Here she witnesses an ongoing performance in which she is not the protagonist, but merely an audience – stepping into the role of the observer to further raise questions regarding the notions of “pretending”, “performing”, “being”, and most importantly, “believing”.
Artist: Katarzyna Kozyra