VENICE – The Contours of Otherness,
art protagonist in the heart of the Ghetto

As it is now well known, to the two curators’ decision, the Israeli pavilion at the Venice Biennale will stay closed to the public until an agreement is reached on the hostages held by Hamas and on the ceasefire. In the meantime, coinciding with the opening of the 60th international exhibition, “I confini dell’alterità / The Contours of Otherness”, a contemporary art exhibition curated by the Jewish Museum of Venice opened in Venice, with installations in three areas of the old ghetto (Spazio Ikona, Spazio Lab, Spazio Azzime) and several Israeli artists among the protagonists. The exhibition is curated by museum director Marcella Ansaldi with the collaboration of Jemma Elliott-Israelson and Avi Ifergan and focuses on the theme of journey, undertaken by or against one’s will, and of the cultural identity crisis that can result from it. The works on display include “A transferable safe space,” painted by Israeli artist Amit Berman after spending some time away from family, friends and domestic intimacy, poised between “conserving roots” and adapting “to a new cultural context.” In contrast, his compatriot Elisheva Revah invites reflection on the Challah, the Sabbath bread, which she associates “with migration, femininity and the concept of home in the context of the diaspora.” The confrontation between cultures, sensibilities and knowledges on the theme of otherness “gave rise to an extremely interesting artistic and human experience,” stated Ansaldi, while presenting the salient features of an exhibition that is itself a message.

Calimani: Israel and Judaism are under attack, we must promote culture

“There probably is no better teacher of coexistence between different people than the Venetian Ghetto,” pointed out Dario Calimani, President of the Jewish Community of Venice. “Built in suspicion and mistrusted as all diversity, the Ghetto today offers itself as a welcoming place, as an open space reaffirming the principle of hospitality.” The exhibition, remarked Calimani in an interview with Pagine Ebraiche, “is opening at a time when Israel and Judaism are being speciously questioned; and it is meaningful that it is taking place in this neighbourhood, a place of segregation where many marginalized people from so many places have managed to develop a coexistence among themselves and with the outside world, promoting life and culture.” Today, developing culture is still a mission. “The restoration work at the Jewish Museum should be completed by November, so that we can open it almost completely. It will be renewed and future-oriented,” added Calimani.

Picture: Challah by Elisheva Revah

Translated by Marta Gustinucci and revised by Chiara Tona, students at the Advanced School for Interpreters and Translators of the University of Trieste, trainees in the newsroom of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities – Pagine Ebraiche.