Art Guide
For each song in our playlist, we offer an example of contemporary Israeli visual art that connects with the themes and narrative of the lyrics. This adds another dimension to your exploration of each song while enriching your familiarity with Israeli art and culture.
Artwork: A Delicate Balance
Artist: Andi Arnovitz
The song “Katonti” states “I have become two camps,” a reference to the many divisions present in Israeli society.
Andi Arnovitz is an artist who deals with these dichotomies, the ones she feels in her own life and the ones she sees around her. In 2012 a special exhibition of art created by Jewish feminist artists was held at the Kibbutz Ein Harod Art Museum. At this exhibit, Andi asked visitors to navigate a path through a hanging maze of Hebrew texts, some religious and some secular.
Arnovitz’s reflections on this piece: “The experience of walking through the installation is a metaphor for living in Israel, trying to move forward without breaking with our past, balancing tradition with modernity. Carelessness created breakage and loss. The incomplete state of the artwork suggests the current state of the country.”
Thoughts from the Artist:
From Andi Arnovitz’s website:
“A Delicate Balance. A site-specific installation made originally for the “Matronita” exhibition at the Museum of Art in Ein Harod, Israel in 2012. Viewers had to walk through it in order to travel from one gallery to the next. Suspended from iron rods are two clay scrolls; one a tractate from the traditional Talmudic Judicial system and the other, an article from the contemporary Israeli newspapers.
The experience of walking through the installation is a metaphor for living in Israel, trying to move forward without breaking with our past, balancing tradition with modernity. Carelessness created breakage and loss. The incomplete state of the artwork suggests the current state of the country.”
And Now You
- In what ways do you navigate the world of Jewish and secular? Are there points of comfort, conflict, inspiration, discomfort, or danger for you along this journey?
- How might this balancing act differ for Jews living in Israel and the Diaspora? Do you think it is easier or harder in one place over another?
- If you were asked to add texts to the artist’s maze, which religious and which secular ones would you choose? Would these texts reflect a personal experience or one that you consider to represent the wider community?
To see more of Andi Arnovitz’s art, visit her website: https://andiarnovitz.com/
Visual Art
Artwork: A Delicate Balance
Artist: Andi Arnovitz
The song “Katonti” states “I have become two camps,” a reference to the many divisions present in Israeli society.
Andi Arnovitz is an artist who deals with these dichotomies, the ones she feels in her own life and the ones she sees around her. In 2012 a special exhibition of art created by Jewish feminist artists was held at the Kibbutz Ein Harod Art Museum. At this exhibit, Andi asked visitors to navigate a path through a hanging maze of Hebrew texts, some religious and some secular.
Arnovitz’s reflections on this piece: “The experience of walking through the installation is a metaphor for living in Israel, trying to move forward without breaking with our past, balancing tradition with modernity. Carelessness created breakage and loss. The incomplete state of the artwork suggests the current state of the country.”
Thoughts from the Artist:
From Andi Arnovitz’s website:
“A Delicate Balance. A site-specific installation made originally for the “Matronita” exhibition at the Museum of Art in Ein Harod, Israel in 2012. Viewers had to walk through it in order to travel from one gallery to the next. Suspended from iron rods are two clay scrolls; one a tractate from the traditional Talmudic Judicial system and the other, an article from the contemporary Israeli newspapers.
The experience of walking through the installation is a metaphor for living in Israel, trying to move forward without breaking with our past, balancing tradition with modernity. Carelessness created breakage and loss. The incomplete state of the artwork suggests the current state of the country.”
And Now You
- In what ways do you navigate the world of Jewish and secular? Are there points of comfort, conflict, inspiration, discomfort, or danger for you along this journey?
- How might this balancing act differ for Jews living in Israel and the Diaspora? Do you think it is easier or harder in one place over another?
- If you were asked to add texts to the artist’s maze, which religious and which secular ones would you choose? Would these texts reflect a personal experience or one that you consider to represent the wider community?
To see more of Andi Arnovitz’s art, visit her website: https://andiarnovitz.com/
