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  • Talma Gotteiner

Contemporary Art Center Ramla: Portraying 'Hundreds of Times'

Hi there!


The Contemporary Art Center, Ramla-CACR is reopening on July 3, 2020 with a new exhibition – “Hundreds of Times” in which four artists will display thought provoking works on feminism now. The works utilize a variety of media including: drawings, a neon work, several installations some on a very large scale and more. The exhibition sheds light on various layers of the multicultural city of Ramla, home to a mosaic of religions and ethnic communities.


WHEN: July 3, 2020 - October 10, 2020. FREE Entrance!

Opening reception: Friday, July 3, 2020, 12 noon.


Hundreds of Times


Hala Abu Kishek | Naama Arad | Diana Kogan | Nardin Saruji


Curator: Dr. Smadar Sheffi

Contemporary Art Center Ramla: Portraying 'Hundreds of Times'
Credit: Legally Blonde - Work by Naama Arad - Photo by Ron Peled

The exhibition “Hundreds of Times” contemplates structures of representation of the term 'feminine', drawing on mythology and cultural icons including the "Queen of Hearts" and Princess Diana through the world of dolls – from display mannequins to sex dolls.


Curator Dr. Smadar Sheffi of the CACR and the exhibition has stated: “The new exhibition is a complex, often humorous contemplation, ironic and not necessarily optimistic, on femininity in its social and individual contexts . Viewers can expect a unique experience, considering the various lines of tension transversing the artworks on view: they are disturbing, absurd, stubborn, and sometimes uncomfortable.”.


The work entitled "179", by Hala Abu Kishek, is made of Arabic and Hebrew words taken from transcripts of conversations with sexually abused women. Visitors can imagine the horrific scenes evoked by the words, written in large print on the wall, words which themselves become abstract images.


Diana Kogan is exhibiting a massive drawing of the goddess Diana entitled: "Someone, I say, will remember us (Diana with hunting dogs)", which seems to enfold the viewers. Diana, in Roman mythology, is the virgin goddess of the hunt, patroness of wild animals, and protector of women in childbirth. Kogan’s choice to engage in the figure of her namesake recasts the drawing into a kind of self-portrait.


Nardin Saruji’s neon artwork "Hummus Fool" invites viewers to survey the presence of Arabic script in the Israeli-Western public space. Arabic signs are usually associated with political posters or religious texts, but here Saruji deals with an item from daily life which has become a symbol.


Naama Arad’s works create simultaneously feelings of deep revulsion and intense empathy. In the installation "Legally Blonde", the female body is reduced into thin lines of stretched pantyhose. The figure seems challenging, but is fastened to the floor. The objectivization of the female body, with its allusions to slavery, is disturbing.


Since its launch in the fall of 2019 by the Ramla Municipality and the Ramla Foundation in the complex of the Ramla Museum, directed by Ron Peled, the CACR has been a venue for first-rate art exhibitions, expanding the cultural life of the city and visitors. The CACR is a safe space for controversial and often painful topics of discussion raised by art, a place to confront the issues of the present and to envisage the future.


The Contemporary Art Center, Ramla-CACR is located in a building dating from 1922 built during the British Mandate and hosts three to four exhibitions each year. Gallery discussions and artist talks take place at the center, with speakers from a wide scope of backgrounds. The CACR will be conducting events in additional locations within the City of Ramla, including historic sites such as the underground Pool of the Arches.


Ramla’s Mayor Michael Vidal, stated that “The CACR in Ramla is an important, major cultural component reflecting life in this multicultural diverse city. ’Hundreds of Times,’ the fourth exhibition in a series, is proof that Ramla is a recognized contributor to the contemporary art scene in Israel, as it is a world city." Mayor Vidal ended by extending a warm invitation to the public to come and visit the Contemporary Art Center, Ramla-CACR.


Contact:

Address: 112 Sderot Herzl

Further information: 050-743-1106

Open: Sun-Thurs 11:00 - 15:30. Fri - Sat. closed


Best,

Talma


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