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: The United Colors of Judaism: Independence Day
Artist: Eric Eliyahu Bokobza
Like Ehud Banai, Eric Eliyahu Bokobza expresses conflicting emotions connected with the celebration of Israel’s Independence Day.
Eric Eliyahu Bokobza’s art deals with the divergent, often conflicting, parts of his personal identity.
He is simultaneously very Israeli and very much an immigrant, proud of his European and North African descent, a queer man in a heteronormative society.
His use of bright colors and naïve shapes are a charming disguise; lurking beneath the child-like surface is a very adult, criticism of Israeli society, patriarchy, and human nature.
In this work, Bokobza features a recurring alter-ego man-child named “Eliyahu.” He reflects upon the contradictory nature of Israel’s Independence Day, a new Jewish holiday, secular by design, but often imbued with religious meaning by Orthodox celebrants, some of whom sing the festive “Hallel” prayers. Eliyahu’s kippah and Simchat Torah-like flag are non-native accessories, signifying his Diasporic essence.
The idea of “Independence” in the face of Israel’s ongoing existential struggle is strongly critiqued by Bokobza. He reflects this in the holiday decorations — bunting festooned with soldiers and tanks, a string of hand-grenade shaped lights in the colors of the Palestinian flag.
The painting’s background represents Israel’s unresolved identity crisis. Obvious Middle Eastern symbols sit alongside aspirational European Bauhaus structures. For Bokobza, Yom Ha’atzmaut is less a celebration of what has been achieved and more about the work that needs to be done to achieve the dream of true independence.
And Now You
- What are the first things that you notice from this very dense piece of work? What begins to emerge for you as you reflect on these elements?
- In what way does Bokobza play with traditional symbols of Yom Ha’atzmaut?
- How do you experience and feel about Yom Ha’atzmaut? What additional insights, if any, do you gain from this piece of art?
To see more of Eric Eliyahu Bokobza’s work, visit: www.ebokobza.com
Visual Art
Artwork: The United Colors of Judaism: Independence Day
Artist: Eric Eliyahu Bokobza
Like Ehud Banai, Eric Eliyahu Bokobza expresses conflicting emotions connected with the celebration of Israel’s Independence Day.
Eric Eliyahu Bokobza’s art deals with the divergent, often conflicting, parts of his personal identity.
He is simultaneously very Israeli and very much an immigrant, proud of his European and North African descent, a queer man in a heteronormative society.
His use of bright colors and naïve shapes are a charming disguise; lurking beneath the child-like surface is a very adult, criticism of Israeli society, patriarchy, and human nature.
In this work, Bokobza features a recurring alter-ego man-child named “Eliyahu.” He reflects upon the contradictory nature of Israel’s Independence Day, a new Jewish holiday, secular by design, but often imbued with religious meaning by Orthodox celebrants, some of whom sing the festive “Hallel” prayers. Eliyahu’s kippah and Simchat Torah-like flag are non-native accessories, signifying his Diasporic essence.
The idea of “Independence” in the face of Israel’s ongoing existential struggle is strongly critiqued by Bokobza. He reflects this in the holiday decorations — bunting festooned with soldiers and tanks, a string of hand-grenade shaped lights in the colors of the Palestinian flag.
The painting’s background represents Israel’s unresolved identity crisis. Obvious Middle Eastern symbols sit alongside aspirational European Bauhaus structures. For Bokobza, Yom Ha’atzmaut is less a celebration of what has been achieved and more about the work that needs to be done to achieve the dream of true independence.
And Now You
- What are the first things that you notice from this very dense piece of work? What begins to emerge for you as you reflect on these elements?
- In what way does Bokobza play with traditional symbols of Yom Ha’atzmaut?
- How do you experience and feel about Yom Ha’atzmaut? What additional insights, if any, do you gain from this piece of art?
To see more of Eric Eliyahu Bokobza’s work, visit: www.ebokobza.com
