katalog-overlapping voices - Ritesinstitute

in our meeting you asked me to tell you about the group exhibition at the essl museum. i told you about the
curatorial decisions and about my artwork that will be exhibited as well, the project ‘Unrecognized’, which
tells the story of the Bedouin community in israel’s negev. a story of a weakened and discriminated community
disregarded by the state’s policy, a reality evolving into a social catastrophe. a project that was formed
to raise awareness and impel change.
You told me that had you visited this exhibition in israel, i might have found you at my side, arguing and defending
it against critics. however, you said, such work should not be exhibited outside israel. You explained
that because of hidden anti-semitism, and due to the inability of the european audience to deeply understand
social-political-historical processes in israel, projects such as mine only encourage mislead perceptions
and simplistic dichotomies of israeli reality. Using a shallow interpretation, dark and dangerous opinions
against an anti-semitic background could be justified.
You expressed your disappointment with the curatorial selection of the other artworks for the group exhibition
in the essl museum, and the failure of this exhibition to present a balanced image of israel, emphasizing mainly
Palestinian narratives and offering solutions which undermine the existence of israel as a Jewish state.
i agreed that people here in europe do not understand well the reality of life in israel. they might not know
the different and contradicting narratives, might not see the complexities or know about the different communities.
i too, as an israeli, do not presume to fully understand life’s reality in other places. should this prevent
me from learning about the history of the conflict in northern ireland, the environmentalist civil movement
in iceland, or the plight and social struggle of the gypsies in austria?
i agree as well with your understanding of anti-semitism in europe and especially in austria. i know that by
seeing israel’s discriminative policies or seeing israel as an aggressor, some use it as an excuse for their recent
history as a nation during nazi times and justify their current anti-semitic ideas. however, should restricting
the creative work of poets, writers, researchers and scholars dealing with political critique to the boundaries
of their national states exclusively solve this?
i also agree with your statement about the failure of our exhibition to create a balanced view of israel. i question
our ability to succeed in this, had we tried. apart from trying not to create a superficial or tendentious
show of course, we still live and operate in a certain ideological sphere that influenced our way of seeing and
understanding the artworks and our curatorial job.
likewise, it’s worth mentioning that it is the state of israel as well, which encourages simplistic and dichotomous
perceptions of the reality in israel, both among its citizens and abroad. such a polar view of reality is
bound to develop even further in the wake of attempts to control and limit the voices trying to explore and
uncover the narratives of others, and the weakened, excluded and marginalized parties. no differently than
other countries, israel is going through global processes, and in israel too, the ties between politics, media
and private economic interests contrary to the public weal are hard to loosen and evaluate.
i do not accept your suggestion to limit the exhibiting of my work to within israel’s borders only. and yet,
i imagine that if most cultural and art centers in israel were interested in joining the efforts and exhibit such
projects; if israel’s society and its leaders were to accept proposals for amendment faster; and if attempts to
improve things from within would have been more fruitful, i guess i wouldn’t be dealing with this question.
Perhaps – as is sometimes claimed against me – i turn outside only for attention and support. Perhaps –
as i claim – this is out of a deliberate, pre-meditated strategy. out of the belief in the capability of the international
community to affect israel’s policies and assist in the difficult process of change. Perhaps also
because of europe’s historic responsibility for the circumstances and processes which eventually led to
israel’s current reality.
somewhat ironically, i might even serve your purposes. when citizens freely and safely present open and
often harsh criticism of their government’s policy, and do so within the country and outside of it, the impression
received is one of a more open and democratic state.
Perhaps even (at least in my pretentious fantasies) such projects can even serve as an example. instead of
discussing and making statements on ‘the situation in the middle east’, the international audience will also
look inward, at its own communities, at its own hidden stories of racism, discrimination, disregard, and
entrenchment in self-righteousness.
and so, out of a certain collegiality, as one ambassador to another, i’d like to share with you one more fantasy.
Perhaps the artworks that we are showing here in austria will succeed in appealing to you too: an official
representative and israeli citizen, convincing you to join the community i have described above, of those who
employ their occupation in the pursuit of social justice, true equality and solidarity. Perhaps you would then
think it right to use the means at your disposal, offices, employees and your political contacts in israel and
abroad to help us in our advocacy efforts. Perhaps you will also be able to enlist your employers in the ministry
of foreign affairs, and their employers in the israeli government, and all would join one movement of
citizens who are trying to transform the place they live in, making it better and befitting aLL its inhabitants.
with all the best,
tal adler
22 OVERLAPPING VOICES