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Monday, January 30, 2012

... because of curiosity of a foreigner

The "Shorashim" gallery on Habima square had opened yesterday a new exposition called "View from here - light from there". The exhibition includes the works of painters from the former Soviet Union who work and live here, in Israel, but who naturally bring their background, education and culture into their creations. Kind of a boiling point in the form of art.
In the opening speech, the curators talked about a newfound love to the Israeli landscapes seen in the presented artworks. This got me thinking about a "curiosity of a foreigner".
This is a line of the poem by Anna Akhmatova, Russian poet of the first half of 20 century. In the poem Akhmatova describes a newfound sense of happiness when she looks on the streets of her beloved city, St. Petersburg, "with a curiosity of a foreigner". Then everything that she was long accustomed with, looks fresh and wonderful and new.
And so the artists who hadn't been born here in Israel look on everything with a curiosity of a foreigner. They keep this fresh perspective and wonder for the things that to people who were born into this reality might look mundane: Israeli landscapes, streets of Tel Aviv, the Mediterranean sea.
My friend Lesya Bershov is one of the artists of the exhibition. Good luck Lesya and thanks for your curiosity of a foreigner for Tel Aviv streets, cafes and people!

4 comments:

sparrow said...

I would love to see some photos of these paintings. I bought a beautiful hannukiah by a Russian ceramic artist in 2004. There is definitely Slavic influences in its design.

I love the poems of Akhmatova (I only wish I could read them in Russian - I have only read translations)

Adela said...

Haha, I love how you put it. I use the same technique on my house and call it the 'guest perspective'...what my house looks like to someone just walking in.

Davidlind said...

The expression we might use here in the US would be "melting pot". But I see your point even if it is "boiling". Israel must look a lot like heaven to former occupants of some places. Hopefully it will continue to be that way for a long time.

Israel tour said...

Thanks for a great post!