The solo exhibition Innesti_Gesto e Materia (Grafts_Gesture and Matter) at the Open Space Gallery in Florence explores “the thin and ambiguous boundary between the natural element and artificial intervention” through the vision of Italian-Israeli architect and designer David Palterer. Curated by Norberto Medardi and Marco Tonelli, the exhibition runs through August 9.
Palterer has been a leading figure in Florence and the wider cultural scene for many decades. This exhibition showcases his artistic work, presenting around 50 sculptures and drawings. In many ways, it represents a summary of his artistic work. As Palterer says, “There is always a little Judaism in my work, even when I am not looking for it.”
This is especially clear in the piece chosen as the symbol of the exhibition. It is called Yated, a Hebrew word meaning “peg” or “anchor point.” It consists of a metal axe head shaped like a house that is inserted into a rough block of wood representing the earth. Thus, an act of destruction becomes an act of construction because “the foundation of a house means life, as we also learn from our traditional Jewish texts.”
Another sculpture is dedicated to the 1978 Camp David Accords, which paved the way for peace between Israel and Egypt. To represent this historic moment, Palterer created a bronze electrical connector that joins two pencils pointing in opposite directions. He chose pencils, whose marks can be erased, instead of pens with permanent ink. They symbolize, he says, how “everything can be temporary” in that region. At the same time, the apparent fragility of the piece is reinforced by two large screws that, in theory, provide stability. The exhibition also includes a glass sun placed among trees to celebrate the beginning of Shabbat.
Other works recall Palterer’s youth in Africa. He lived in Ghana for many years, an experience that deeply influenced him. He recalls, “I was the first white child in a school for Black children.” More broadly, the works selected by Medardi and Tonelli challenge the traditional notion of artistic creation. They are inspired by the intellectual provocation of Dadaism, whose spirit Palterer believes is “also very Jewish.” He cites Marcel Janco as an example. Janco was one of the founders of the Dada movement during World War I. Later, during the Holocaust, Janco fled Romania and settled in Mandatory Palestine. He later received both the Dizengoff Prize and the Israel Prize for his artistic work.
Translated by Elizabeth El Khoury and revised by Caterina Mansani, 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.