The Rise of the Overlooked in Israeli Art

Join the BZD and Israeli-American art historian, curator, writer, and educator Sagi Refael as he walks us through the overlooked in Israeli art. Israeli society had initially been shaped with the concept of the “Melting Pot” ideology in mind, which aspired to create a clean slate and a new identity for all those that immigrated from different cultures to the newly founded state of Israel.

Through the years, the reality seems to have shifted from the original expectations, and various “marginal” communities and voices that had existed under the radar began to surface vocally and creatively. This lecture will present and discuss ‘The Other’ in Israeli society and art – Mizrachi/Sephardic, Arab/Palestinian, Olim from Ethiopia and the former USSR, and LGBTQ communities.