Visual Arts

The Hamsa Flag is designed to represent a vast, shifting, hybrid community of many tribes (and beyond the very notion of tribe), of many nations (and beyond the very notion of nation), all emerging from a common elemental source.

Jews, Muslims, and Christians, Arabs, Turks, and Kurds, people in the Balkans and across North Africa have all been wearing and displaying the hamsa in some form as a spiritual emblem for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

In films that weave together documentary and 3D animation, Ruth Patir deals with life’s big questions by interrogating her own lived experiences. Upon being diagnosed with a gene mutation that puts her at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer, Patir faced the harsh reality that her reproductive organs were in fact a ticking time-bomb.

Serious soul searching ensued: Should she actively pursue motherhood now, before it is too late? Was it even what she wanted, or was she conditioned to play a certain role in a
society obsessed with demography? Patir has previously examined inherited narratives by animating archaeological artifacts.

In doing so, she became intrigued by female figurines dating from 800-600 BCE that were prevalent across the ancient Levante and found in many homes. Patir harnesses
these enigmatic figurines — suggestive of fertility rituals and the burdens of the female
body — as avatars in her wild and stirring personal odyssey. These forlorn women of a past civilization reach us across time, whether intact or, more often, broken—remnants of bloodied feuds. They embody the intertwined experience of womanhood, rupture and grief, an experience made all the more

Right here, right now, five million children are living in war. Tens of thousands have been killed in recent months, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes, orphaned, kidnapped, and held hostage. Many suffer from malnutrition, diseases, shortages in basic needs, and severe psychological damage.
To raise a cry to end this suffering, seventy artists from diverse backgrounds, including both Jewish and Arab communities, have come together to participate in a poignant street art exhibition. Titled “Innocence Disrupted: Children in Wartime,” this exhibition features works from seasoned, well-known artists and young, emerging talents alike.

The exhibition aims to raise public awareness of the severe harm inflicted upon children in wartime. Through their art, these creators hope to give voice to the silent cry of the children and urge swift and forceful action to end their suffering.