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Landscape Exhibition Provides Common Ground for
Artists from Israel and Ohio
More than 30 landscape paintings, photographs and installations from Ohio and Israel will be on display at the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery, July 29 through October 16, 1999. Curated by Nella Cassouto, an independent curator from Jerusalem, Israel, and David Johnson, chief curator at the Taft Museum in Cincinnati, Common Ground :Contemporary Landscapes from Israel and Ohio juxtaposes the work of six Ohio and six Israeli artists whose common interest is landscape. The exhibition illustrates the pluralistic nature of contemporary art and emphasizes the interaction of imagination and materials as the central experience of late-20 th century artists. Common Ground is the first exhibition of Ohio and Israeli work organized by the Ohio Arts Council .
Prior to the opening reception on Thursday, July 29, from 5-5:30 p.m. there will be a gallery talk by Israeli curator Nella Cassouto. The opening reception will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. The Amazing Strings, featuring violinist Arkadiy Gips, will perform at the reception. Kashrut will be observed.
Ohio artists participating in the exhibition are Masumi Hayashi, Cleveland; Holly Morrison, Cleveland; Stephen Pentak, Columbus; Valerie Shesko, Cincinnati; Ronald Taylor, Akron; and Vlada Vukadinovic, Akron. Israeli artists participating in the exhibition are Larry Abramson, Jerusalem; Yemina Ergas-Vroman, Jerusalem; Moshe Gershuni, Tel Aviv; Yehoshua Glotman, Mitzpe Abirim, Galilee; Alon Porat, Klil, Western Galilee; and Ilana Zuckerman, Jerusalem.
Selecting a subject for an exhibition that would result in an appropriate encounter between artists in Ohio and Israel was no simple matter. The "safe" topic of landscape was chosen, despite the great difference between the landscape tradition of Israeli artists and that of American artists. The Midwest has developed a tradition of figurative and landscape painting as part of a dominant trend in contemporary art. In contrast, in Israel, the term encompasses artistic work that presents landscapes in non-traditional ways.
For both the Israeli and Ohio artists Common Ground permits many approaches: landscapes of reality, inner landscapes, intimate landscapes, landscapes of memory and complex technical landscapes. All are different and go far beyond the classical concept of a landscape canvas. Along with urban landscape painting and Galilean landscapes, there are works of photography and installations.
This exhibition strives to create a broader definition of the term landscape to include work that goes beyond the traditional bounds of the canvas and expresses landscape through various media. The challenge of creating a dialogue—letting two groups with two trends and two different traditions share a relationship despite their contrasting views—has resulted in an exhibition that may open another vista for the understanding of the connection between art and location.
The six Ohio artists whose work is included in Common Ground use familiar images of the Midwestern landscape to express a range of meanings. The paintings and photographs selected from visits to 44 artists studios throughout the state, differ in stylistic influences and execution, but share a common vision of landscape as an expressive vehicle and potent symbol.
The Israeli work in the exhibition is strongly influenced by the idea of "Land of Refuge." Israel was created as a refuge for scattered exiles in keeping with the views of the founders of Zionism. It is impossible to contemplate the art created in Israel detached from its local context or from the reality of world politics. "Man is nothing more than an image of his country’s landscape," according to the Hebrew poet Saul Chernikhowski.
Common Ground asks viewers to contemplate what the art being created today in Israel has in common with the art being produced in the cultural climate of Ohio.
A full color catalog of the exhibition will be available at the Riffe Gallery for $15.
Common Ground also will be presented in Cincinnati at the Weston Gallery, November 19 through January 15, 2000, and in Israel at the Artists House, Jerusalem, February 26 through April 4, 2000.
Support for the tour of Common Ground: Contemporary Landscapes from Israel and Ohio is provided by El Al Israeli Airlines, Consulate General of Israel, New York, Consulate General of Israel, Philadelphia, Ohio Jewish Communities, Jewish Federation of Cleveland, The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and Columbus Jewish Foundation. The Columbus presentation of the exhibition is supported by the Ohio Building Authority. Media sponsors include CD101, Columbus Alive, Small Business News and Time Warner Communications.
The Riffe Gallery, operated by the Ohio Arts Council, showcases the work of Ohio’s artists and curators and the collections of the state’s museums and galleries. The gallery is in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, State and High Streets, Columbus, OH. Hours are Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 12-8 p.m. and Sunday 12-4 p.m. Admission is free. For information or to schedule a tour call the Riffe Gallery at 614/644-9624.
The Ohio Arts Council, a state agency established in 1965, builds the state through the arts—economically, educationally and culturally—preserving the past, enhancing the present and enriching the future for all Ohioans. The Council believes the arts should be shared by the people of Ohio. The arts arise from public, individual and organizational efforts. The OAC supports and encourages those efforts.
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