'Heat And Dust': Online Exhibition Underlining Indian Culture's Influence On Israeli Art

The exhibition attempts to examine how artists in a wide range of media use their work to represent hidden and revealed aspects of India and its culture.

Image Courtesy: Embassy of Israel in India | Andi Arnovitz, "Vashti's Revenge", 2014 | Photo: Avshlom Avital.

New Delhi: The Embassy of Israel in New Delhi in collaboration with the India International Centre (IIC) organized an online exhibition that shows the influence of India and its culture on Israeli art. The exhibition, titled ‘Heat and Dust- between India and Zion’, began on July 12 and can be viewed till July 25.

The exhibition attempts to examine how artists in a wide range of media use their work to represent hidden and revealed aspects of India and its culture.

“This exhibition is an attempt to examine through artistic perspective how Indian “motifs” and “influences” are expressed in Israeli art,” the Embassy of Israel said in a release.

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Asserting that hundreds of thousands of Israelis have visited India, the Embassy of Israel said the Indian cultural expressions such as yoga, meditation, music, and dance have a growing influence on Israeli culture and society.

The Embassy said the works of Tim Nachum Gidal, one of Israel's most important photographers, will be for the first time, presented in India through this exhibition. The Embassy said Gidal was a member of a group of prominent photographers worldwide who developed the art of photojournalism and became famous in the field. 

“He published books and research papers, and was granted several awards. In 1940, he went to India on a photo assignment and clicked pictures of Mahatma Gandhi. Those pictures will be presented in this exhibition,” the Embassy added.

Rony Yedidia Clein, Chargé d'affaires at the Embassy of Israel in India, said “India is a font of ideas and inspirations for artists and photographers everywhere”. 

“This very interesting online exhibition reflects the unique connection between India and Israel in the form of various artworks and photographs. I invite everyone to watch it. This show has been made possible due to the natural connection of Indian and Israeli cultures, hearts, and minds,” he added.

L.S. Tochhawng, Chief, Programme Division and Secretary IIC Film Club, India International Centre said “the exhibition which presents a wide range of artists engaged in different art practices is an exciting one as each of the artists have had an India/Israel connection unique to them”.

“This is reflected in the works on view as each artist negotiates this engagement, of a place, of a time, of forgetting and remembering and of recreating and transposing,” he added.