Tower Of David Museum Showcases Turkish And Israeli Jewelers (Photo Essay)

By BJLIfe/Sharon Altshul
Posted on 11/18/21

Jerusalem, Israel - Nov. 17, 2021 - The Jerusalem Tower of David Museum is one of the multiple locations hosting the 5th Jerusalem Biennale of Contemporary Jewish art. The Biennale is taking place from November 11 - December 30, in Jerusalem, Israel, under the theme "Four Cubits." The hundreds of works were created by artists limited in work and travel due to COVID-19 restrictions during the past year.

 "Between a Break and a Breakdown: Jewelry as a mirror of our times" is the title of the special museum exhibit subtitled "Strangers and estranged, Turkish and Israeli designers come together in the pandemic to create joint contemporary jewelry exhibition in a guardroom of the Ottoman-built citadel at the Tower of David." There is an interesting story to this joint exhibition between 24 contemporary jewelers from Turkey and Israel curated by Ariel Lavian. 

Lavian took the time to explain to BJL  in the quiet gallery with his specially designed showcases before the official opening. He was home with young children trying to survive during the lockdowns and spent time online. “On one hand, the pandemic paralyzed some artists, but for others, it gave them a sense of freedom, and this is what the pandemic gave me, energy and time to explore." He explained, "I came across some work of a contemporary jeweler in Istanbul, and realized that I knew nothing of my counter craftsmen in Turkey and reached out to her … and it was here that the idea to do a joint exhibition was born. It should have been a no-brainer as we share the same field of work in neighboring countries, but before Covid 19, I didn’t know anyone in Turkey. I asked myself, how could this be? In retrospect, it's a pity that I did not reach out years earlier. I met 16 amazing people, wonderful artists, who I can call friends today and I am sure we will keep in touch both on a personal and professional level.”

During the past year, they met via zoom and the exhibition is the product of those interactive meetings. In groups of three, they discussed the impact of the pandemic on their work and looked to see if there were any shared sentiments and challenges despite the fact that they were strangers and estranged with closed borders and from different cultures. The end result is their work with jewelry as a mirror of our times.

It is the first time work of Turkish artists is being shown within the citadel walls and the creators wanted to come to Israel but were not able to obtain visas from the Turkish government in time.

"During the pandemic, in the spirit of the Jerusalem Biennale’s theme “Four Cubits”, these jewelry artists from Turkey and Israel discovered new channels of communication, collaboration, and creativity from the restriction of their private spaces. The resulting artwork is a testament to their resilience and art, which has blossomed into this unique joint exhibition" related Rami Ozeri, Founder and Creative Director of the Jerusalem Biennale.

Istanbul based contemporary jeweler and product designer Burcu Büyükünal stated, "I think for many of us artists the pandemic started out as not being a very fruitful time and could be seen as negative – but at the same time it allowed us a certain amount of freedom and to dig deep and allow us to be creative in new ways. My jewelry is based on the shape of a circle – for me the most perfect shape. But you will see that I have been using different methods of distortion. This distortion in these perfect circles represents my confusion as to how to set up my life again in the changing circumstances of the pandemic."

Ariel Lavian graduated from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in the Fashion and Jewelry Department and completed his Master's Degree in conceptual design at Bezalel in 2016. 

Lavian took time to explain the various groupings and themes organized in the display cases in the recently renovated ancient citadel room used for the exhibition, a few of the pieces are featured in the photo essay. 

Each of the eight groups took a theme and produced pieces during a time of lockdown and isolation expressing their frustrations and hopes in a unique way.