Who by Fire. On Israel

About

The exhibition „Who by Fire: On Israel“ at the Haus am Lützowplatz (HaL) takes a (self-)critical look at the history and reality of life in Israel with twelve contemporary artistic positions. The artists in the exhibition deal with the current political situation of the country and pose questions about Israeli identity, also from the perspective of non-Jewish Israelis. In conveying these sometimes complex issues, their connection to Germany and its history also comes into view.

Curator Liav Mizrahi (*1977 in Haifa) studied art in Haifa, Düsseldorf and Jerusalem until 2008 and is also active as a political activist. His guiding principle in selecting the artistic positions for the exhibition is the concept of political resistance in a democratic civil society. In addition, his exhibition deals with current issues of Jewish and Arab-Palestinian identities in Israel.

The title of the exhibition refers to the song „Who by Fire“ by the Canadian-Jewish songwriter Leonard Cohen, which appeared on the album „New Skin for the Old Ceremony“ (1974). Its genesis is closely linked to Cohen’s 1973 trip to Israel after the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War. During the fighting, he performed with local musicians in front of units of the Israeli army. The lyrics of „Who by Fire,“ which Cohen wrote immediately after these impressions, process and quote the „Unetaneh tokef,“ a prayer read in synagogue during Yom Kippur. Leonard Cohen is also known in Israel’s collective memory, however, for a widely noted sign of reconciliation during his last concert in Jerusalem in 2009. The exhibition title thus refers not only to one of the many armed conflicts in which Israel defended itself against neighboring Arab countries, but also to the possibility of overcoming trauma and reconciliation.