- Israel
Tal Dekel
Seminar Hakibbutzim College, Visual Litracy Studies Program, Faculty Member
- I am a visual culture scholar, curator and activist. My work deals with contemporary art in Israel and around the wor... moreI am a visual culture scholar, curator and activist. My work deals with contemporary art in Israel and around the world. My research focuses on issues of gender, race, class, nationality and age, while using feminist theories and transnationalism. My recent research revolves around immigration and ageism in the state of Israel.edit
The identity of Jewish-Israeli men of Ethiopian descent has undergone deep-seated changes in the last decade, as evident in visual representations created by contemporary black artists living in Israel. In recent years, a new generation... more
The identity of Jewish-Israeli men of Ethiopian descent has undergone deep-seated changes in the last decade, as evident in visual representations created by contemporary black artists living in Israel. In recent years, a new generation of Ethiopian-Israeli artists has revitalized local art and engendered deep changes in discourse and public life. Ethiopian-Israelis, who comprise less than two percent of the total Jewish population in the country, suffers multiple forms of oppression, especially due to their religious status and given that their visibility—as black Jews—stands out in a society that is predominantly white. This article draws links between events of the past decade and the images of men produced by these artists. It argues that the political awareness of Jewish-Ethiopians artists, generated by long-term social activism as well as police violence against their community, has greatly impacted their artistic production, broadened its diversity, and contributed a wealth o...
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The identity of Jewish-Israeli men of Ethiopian descent has undergone deep-seated changes in the last decade, as evident in visual representations created by contemporary black artists living in Israel. In recent years, a new generation... more
The identity of Jewish-Israeli men of Ethiopian descent has undergone deep-seated changes in the last decade, as evident in visual representations created by contemporary black artists living in Israel. In recent years, a new generation of Ethiopian-Israeli artists has revitalized local art and engendered deep changes in discourse and public life. Ethiopian-Israelis, who comprise less than two percent of the total Jewish population in the country, suffers multiple forms of oppression, especially due to their religious status and given that their visibility – as black Jews – stands out in a society that is predominantly white. This article draws links between events of the past decade and the images of men produced by these artists. It argues that the political awareness of Jewish-Ethiopians artists, generated by long-term social activism as well as police violence against their community, has greatly impacted their artistic production, broadened its diversity, and contributed a wealth of artworks to Israeli culture as a whole. Using intersectional analysis and drawing on theories from gender, migration and cultural studies, the article aims to produce a nuanced understanding of black Jewish masculinity in the ethno-national context of state of Israel.
The article discusses contemporary Israeli women artists that are in dialogue with the ancient Hebrew scriptures. Starting in the 1970s, they gradually built a critical language that responded to and changed the traditional patriarchal... more
The article discusses contemporary Israeli women artists that are in dialogue with the ancient Hebrew scriptures. Starting in the 1970s, they gradually built a critical language that responded to and changed the traditional patriarchal approach to the Jewish texts. Through a number of case studies of art works, feminist analysis shows that contemporary artists no longer look upon the scriptures with awe, neither do they take a nostalgic approach to it; but, rather, they create complex and multi layered pieces, that divert and change the ancient writings and add new meanings to them, thus making them relevant to their lives as women living in the post-modern era – be it their personal psychological state of mind, issues concerning the current political situation the country, or critical responses to the power relations within their social milieu. Analyzing the works of these particular artists becomes important for the understanding of a broader investigation into women's art in the Israeli context and culture at large
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Transitional Identities: Women, Art and Migration in Contemporary Israel, translated from the original Hebrew (the name of the translator is not given), focuses on the experiences of three different groups of migrant women artists living... more
Transitional Identities: Women, Art and Migration in Contemporary Israel, translated from the original Hebrew (the name of the translator is not given), focuses on the experiences of three different groups of migrant women artists living in Israel. Dekel, who herself migrated to Israel as a 12-year-old from the United States, is interested in the double perspective that immigrants bring to their lives in the new country: both as outsider and insider, Israeli and/or “other.” Dekel, who lectures both in the department of art history and in the women and gender studies program at Tel Aviv University, has a particular interest in gender and transnationalism in contemporary art and visual culture. Her first book, ...
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AbstractThis article examines women artists in Israel seeking to make a living from their art. Reviewing the art field as a broad system of economic and social parameters, it places the Israeli art scene in historical and economic... more
AbstractThis article examines women artists in Israel seeking to make a living from their art. Reviewing the art field as a broad system of economic and social parameters, it places the Israeli art scene in historical and economic contexts, analysing the difficulties women artists from various socio-economic groups face due to their gender and class background, as well as their ethnicity and nationality. The research is based on interviews with women artists and on intersectional analysis. A pioneering project in the field in Israel, it suggest that more research must be conducted in order to examine future issues in the working lives of women artists from various groups and diverse stages of their life-cycle.IntroductionThis article considers various issues related to women artists and the obstacles that prevent them from earning a dignified living in their chosen profession. The first section reviews the art field as a broad system of economic and social parameters, while addressi...
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Clothes carry inherent implications and can be used for examining sociological, psychological and even philosophical questions. They serve as a barometer of change in society and are related to issues of gender, race, sexual orientation,... more
Clothes carry inherent implications and can be used for examining sociological, psychological and even philosophical questions. They serve as a barometer of change in society and are related to issues of gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. Starting with the end of 19th century, during which the modern feminist movement was first established in the West, seminal art works done by women artists will be discussed. From the "First wave feminism" to the "Third wave feminism", feminist theory, politics and activism have fundamentally changed, giving rise to many various voices and formulations, such as multiculturalism and gender fluidity. The paper will demonstrate the ways in which women artists made use of the theme of clothes in order to raise questions regarding gender and social status of women in society.
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... and the incorporation of local communities in the artistic creation, very much like the work of American artists Donna Henes, Suzann Lacy ... in making them known in Israel; and even initiated visits of prominent feminist artists and... more
... and the incorporation of local communities in the artistic creation, very much like the work of American artists Donna Henes, Suzann Lacy ... in making them known in Israel; and even initiated visits of prominent feminist artists and critics from abroad, such as Mary Beth Edelson (5). ...
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This article discusses the art of Alina Rome Cohen, a woman artist from the former Soviet Union who immigrated to Israel. Her glass sculptures highlight her hyphenated, multilayered, and dynamic identity, illustrating identity... more
This article discusses the art of Alina Rome Cohen, a woman artist from the former Soviet Union who immigrated to Israel. Her glass sculptures highlight her hyphenated, multilayered, and dynamic identity, illustrating identity construction processes of migrant women under conditions of uprooting and re-grounding in the globalized era of transnationalism. The discussion feeds from theories influenced by “the material turn”, suggesting that artifacts “speak”. I will therefore argue that the material—glass—is involved in the active discussion and negotiation of power relations within society. Framed through Alfred Gell’s anthropological theory of art, first introduced in his book titled Art and Agency from 1998, this approach proposes a horizon of agency for the artworks themselves, which function in the world alongside other actants operating in the field, such as human beings. This article will analyze Rom Chohen’s artworks and will be informed by cultural theories from migration stu...
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This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
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Visual Activism of Israeli-Ethiopian Women artists "Expressing Dissent, Leading the Change: Visual Activism of Israeli-Ethiopian Women Artists", in: The Role of Women in the Jewish World, eds. Luiza Khlebnikova and Dmitry Maryasis... more
Visual Activism of Israeli-Ethiopian Women artists
"Expressing Dissent, Leading the Change: Visual Activism of Israeli-Ethiopian Women Artists", in: The Role of Women in the Jewish World, eds. Luiza Khlebnikova and Dmitry Maryasis (Russian Academy of Science Press, 2021), 253-279.
"Expressing Dissent, Leading the Change: Visual Activism of Israeli-Ethiopian Women Artists", in: The Role of Women in the Jewish World, eds. Luiza Khlebnikova and Dmitry Maryasis (Russian Academy of Science Press, 2021), 253-279.
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The paper studies the work of Pamela Levy (b. 1949), with an emphasis on the 1970s. I argue that, during this period, she drew upon the American feminist art tradition. Having no counterpart in Israel, where feminist consciousness and its... more
The paper studies the work of Pamela Levy (b. 1949), with an emphasis on the 1970s. I argue that, during this period, she drew upon the American feminist art tradition. Having no counterpart in Israel, where feminist consciousness and its cultural identity politics were to surface significantly only in the 1980s, Levy's feminist art could not have been understood, contextualized and appreciated properly in its time. I further argue that Levy, who immigrated to Israel from the U.S. in 1976, presents a new attitude to "provinciality." She sees it not as a dull imitation of the "center," but rather as representative of a province that is aware of itself and of its sources and culture, and that produces art with its own language and resources, while keeping in touch with what is happening elsewhere. Pamela Levy knew about the feminist art movement in the U.S. and borrowed ideas and elements from that movement, but she also continued to incorporate Israeli elements into her oeuvre, such as local textiles and figures typical of the Middle East.
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This paper deals with the ways women of color in the visual arts express their perceptions of their own sexuality, with the work of Kara Walker as the centerpiece. The work reviews early conceptions of female sexuality, drawing on the... more
This paper deals with the ways women of color in the visual arts express their perceptions of their own sexuality, with the work of Kara Walker as the centerpiece. The work reviews early conceptions of female sexuality, drawing on the history of colonialism and slavery, using tools from various discourses and disciplines including post-colonialism, politics of identities, politics of differences and feminism.
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English: Feminist activist art has existed in public spaces in European and American contexts since the late 1960s, but became a substantial praxis in Israel only in the late 1990s. This paper examines the characteristics of feminist art... more
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Feminist activist art has existed in public spaces in European and American contexts since the late 1960s, but became a substantial praxis in Israel only in the late 1990s. This paper examines the characteristics of feminist art activism in public spaces in Israel and discusses the ways in which feminist artists merge their art with strategies for radical change, raising questions about social issues and the power relations within society. The theoretical framework of the analysis is based on Bourdieu’s field theory, which views art as a field that has reciprocal relations with other fields, and calls for examining the dynamics, structures, and power relations involved. Methodologically, the paper advocates diversity in its presentation of both artists and artistic media. The artworks are diverse not only in genre – photography, installations, theatre, internet series, and films – but also in the choice of location, strategies, and goals.
Although the examples cited are from recent years in Israel, the roots of such feminist-activist art run deep in global terms. Contemporary feminist activist art reflects the progress that has been made since its beginning, but the ongoing need for social change remains evident. Some of the works discussed in this paper have never previously been examined from a scholarly perspective, and their inclusion as activist-feminist art in the public space is itself an act of activism. We argue that mapping and writing this history is a feminist activity. Locating such art in the field of scholarly endeavor will help link scholarship with activism in the arts in Israel.
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אמנות פמיניסטית אקטיביסטית קיימת ברחבי העולם משנות השישים של המאה העשרים, אולם בישראל התבסס זרם זה מאוחר יחסית, רק בשנות התשעים של אותה המאה. מאמר זה עוסק במאפיינים של אקטיביזם פמיניסטי באמנות בישראל ומראה כיצד היוצרות מציגות יצירות אמנות המציפות שאלות אודות מצבה של החברה ומשלבות בהן אסטרטגיות למען שינוי רדיקלי של החברה. מאמר זה שואב את מסגרתו התאורטית מתיאוריות של פמיניזם באמנויות ומתאוריית השדות של בורדייה, הרואה באמנות שדה עצמאי אך כזה המושפע ומשפיע על שדות אחרים בעולם והדורשת לבחון את המנגנונים, התהליכים, ויחסי הכוחות הקיימים בין המעורבים בשדה. מסגרתו המתודולוגית של המאמר נובעת מתפיסת העולם הדוגלת במגוון (diversity), לא רק בהקשר לזהות היוצרות, אלא גם מבחינת מגוון היצירות הנבחנות. משום כך מאמר זה יעסוק ביצירות מסוגים שונים בהן צילום, מיצבים, תאטרון, סדרות רשת וקולנוע. היצירות הנדונות במאמר שונות לא רק מבחינת הסוגות, אלא גם ביחס למיקומן במרחב ובשיטות הפעולה ובמטרות שלהן. עם זאת אנחנו מזהות שלכל היצירות יש מכנה משותף מובהק: איתגור גבולות הפעולה האמנותית במרחב הציבורי והרצון לבצע שינוי חברתי בעולם הממשי.
Feminist activist art has existed in public spaces in European and American contexts since the late 1960s, but became a substantial praxis in Israel only in the late 1990s. This paper examines the characteristics of feminist art activism in public spaces in Israel and discusses the ways in which feminist artists merge their art with strategies for radical change, raising questions about social issues and the power relations within society. The theoretical framework of the analysis is based on Bourdieu’s field theory, which views art as a field that has reciprocal relations with other fields, and calls for examining the dynamics, structures, and power relations involved. Methodologically, the paper advocates diversity in its presentation of both artists and artistic media. The artworks are diverse not only in genre – photography, installations, theatre, internet series, and films – but also in the choice of location, strategies, and goals.
Although the examples cited are from recent years in Israel, the roots of such feminist-activist art run deep in global terms. Contemporary feminist activist art reflects the progress that has been made since its beginning, but the ongoing need for social change remains evident. Some of the works discussed in this paper have never previously been examined from a scholarly perspective, and their inclusion as activist-feminist art in the public space is itself an act of activism. We argue that mapping and writing this history is a feminist activity. Locating such art in the field of scholarly endeavor will help link scholarship with activism in the arts in Israel.
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אמנות פמיניסטית אקטיביסטית קיימת ברחבי העולם משנות השישים של המאה העשרים, אולם בישראל התבסס זרם זה מאוחר יחסית, רק בשנות התשעים של אותה המאה. מאמר זה עוסק במאפיינים של אקטיביזם פמיניסטי באמנות בישראל ומראה כיצד היוצרות מציגות יצירות אמנות המציפות שאלות אודות מצבה של החברה ומשלבות בהן אסטרטגיות למען שינוי רדיקלי של החברה. מאמר זה שואב את מסגרתו התאורטית מתיאוריות של פמיניזם באמנויות ומתאוריית השדות של בורדייה, הרואה באמנות שדה עצמאי אך כזה המושפע ומשפיע על שדות אחרים בעולם והדורשת לבחון את המנגנונים, התהליכים, ויחסי הכוחות הקיימים בין המעורבים בשדה. מסגרתו המתודולוגית של המאמר נובעת מתפיסת העולם הדוגלת במגוון (diversity), לא רק בהקשר לזהות היוצרות, אלא גם מבחינת מגוון היצירות הנבחנות. משום כך מאמר זה יעסוק ביצירות מסוגים שונים בהן צילום, מיצבים, תאטרון, סדרות רשת וקולנוע. היצירות הנדונות במאמר שונות לא רק מבחינת הסוגות, אלא גם ביחס למיקומן במרחב ובשיטות הפעולה ובמטרות שלהן. עם זאת אנחנו מזהות שלכל היצירות יש מכנה משותף מובהק: איתגור גבולות הפעולה האמנותית במרחב הציבורי והרצון לבצע שינוי חברתי בעולם הממשי.
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מאמר זה עוסק בפערים בין בין נשים-יוצרות מקבוצות חברתיות שונות בישראל באמצעות התמקדות בסוגיית ההתפרנסות ממקצוע האמנות. המאמר מציע להבין סוגיה זו על ידי גישה סינטתית, המכונה ניתוח הצטלבותי (intersectional analysis), הרואה בפרמטרים המוסדיים,... more
מאמר זה עוסק בפערים בין בין נשים-יוצרות מקבוצות חברתיות שונות בישראל באמצעות התמקדות בסוגיית ההתפרנסות ממקצוע האמנות. המאמר מציע להבין סוגיה זו על ידי גישה סינטתית, המכונה ניתוח הצטלבותי (intersectional analysis), הרואה בפרמטרים המוסדיים, התרבותיים-פוליטיים והאישיים מערך אחד משולב המתקיים על גבי רצף מרובד. בניתוח הראיונות שהתקיימו זוהו חסמים המשותפים לכל האמניות בישראל והנובעים מעצם היותן נשים, למשל תופעות של סקסיזם והדרה של אמניות שהן אימהוֹת מפעילוּת מלאה ושוויונית בשדה האמנות וחוסר התחשבות בקשיים שהאימהוּת מזמנת להן. עם זאת, מחקר זה מראה שמרבית החסמים שעומדים בפני אמניות אינם מנת חלקן השווה של כל הנשים. צירי ניתוח נוספים על זה המגדרי – ובהם הציר המעמדי, הלאומי והאתני – מחדדים את זיהוי הפערים בין נשים מקבוצות חברתיות שונות במדינה ומוסיפים נדבכים של קושי עבור נשים שונות, בייחוד נשים מקבוצות חברתיות שאינן הגמוניות. אולם, מחקר זה גם מלמד שאתגר העיסוק וההתפרנסות בכבוד ממקצוע האמנות איננו תמיד חוויה דכאנית ומדירה אלא יכול גם להיות אתגר שאותו נשים הופכות להזדמנות להתפתחות מקצועית וכלכלית, להגברת יכולת פעולה בעולם ולתחושת סוכנוּת (agency) משוכללת.
This article addresses the work of Mizrahi women artists, i.e., Israeli-Jewish women of Asian or African ethnic origin, using the artist Vered Nissim as a case study. Nissim seeks to affirm the politics of identity and recognition, as... more
This article addresses the work of Mizrahi women artists, i.e., Israeli-Jewish women of Asian or African ethnic origin, using the artist Vered Nissim as a case study. Nissim seeks to affirm the politics of identity and recognition, as well as feminism, in order to create a paradigm shift with regards to the local regime of cultural representations in the Israeli art scene. Endeavouring to find ways of undermining the rigid imbalances between different social groups, she calls for a comprehensive reform of the status quo through artistic activism.
Nissim employs a style, content, and medium that disrupts the accepted social order, using humour and irony as unique weapons with which she takes liberties with conventional moral, social, and economic values. Placing issues of race, class and gender at the centre of her work, she seeks to undermine and problematize essentialist attitudes, highlighting the political intersections of different identity categories as the critical analysis of intersectionality unfolds.
Nissim employs a style, content, and medium that disrupts the accepted social order, using humour and irony as unique weapons with which she takes liberties with conventional moral, social, and economic values. Placing issues of race, class and gender at the centre of her work, she seeks to undermine and problematize essentialist attitudes, highlighting the political intersections of different identity categories as the critical analysis of intersectionality unfolds.
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This article examines women artists in Israel seeking to make a living from their art. Reviewing the art field as a broad system of economic and social parameters, it places the Israeli art scene in historical context, analyzing the... more
This article examines women artists in Israel seeking to make a living from their art. Reviewing the art field as a broad system of economic and social parameters, it places the Israeli art scene in historical context, analyzing the difficulties women artists from various socio-economic groups face due to their gender and class background, as well as their ethnicity and nationality. The research is based on interviews with women artists and on intersectional analysis. A pioneering project in the field in Israel, it suggests that more research must be conducted in order to examine further issues in the working lives of women artists at various stages of their life-cycle.