It's already an established fact that art is not created in a void. Artists reflect upon their surroundings and experiences continuously. Moreover, artists are often influenced by each other – a phenomenon expressed in Picasso's famous quote, "good artists borrow, great artists steal" (whether he actually said this is a different story). Yet this influence can be direct or implied, and may become visible in multiple ways and forms. One recent example of a creative influence on a contemporary artist is Hilla Ben Ari's recent exhibition "The Voice that Calls to Itself" at Anna Ticho House in Jerusalem, which displays the artist's dialog with two inspiring artists.
"The Voice that Calls to Itself" – Light, Paper, the Body, and Artistic Homage
In a tour of the exhibition led by the artist and the exhibition curator, Timna Seligman, the two mentioned the multidisciplinary nature of the Ticho House and the projects on display. Seligman spoke about her curatorial approach, working in a 19th-century residential building that was gifted to the Israel Museum upon Anna Ticho's death in 1980.
She told Impact Collections' members about Ticho herself, a talented artist who focused on drawing and was even awarded the Israel Prize. Today, Seligman invites artists – mostly Israeli women – to create commissioned projects for the space that are in dialog with Ticho's life and art. In Ben Ari's case, the artist was drawn to Ticho's use of paper and her interpretation of the human body, a topic she has been researching through her artworks for quite some time.
Ticho Anna, Oriental Woman, 1940s
In addition to Ticho, Ben Ari found another artistic muse for the project – Moshe Reifer, an Israeli artist who is known for his intricate and skilled paper cutouts, depicting Hebrew letters as well as human figures. Reifer's work – also on display in the exhibition – and especially the way he manipulated light and paper to depict the human form, received a new interpretation in Ben Ari's video installation.
In addition to Ticho, Ben Ari found another artistic muse for the project – Moshe Reifer, an Israeli artist who is known for his intricate and skilled paper cutouts, depicting Hebrew letters as well as human figures. Reifer's work – also on display in the exhibition – and especially the way he manipulated light and paper to depict the human form, received a new interpretation in Ben Ari's video installation.
"The Voice that Calls to Itself" is composed of two sets of three screens, each projecting a full-sized dancer in a plain bodysuit, performing on a stage, and moving while holding – or being held by – paper. The dancers' movements explore how paper can be used, manipulated, but also how the delicate and fragile material can hold and reshape much stronger objects – just like the human body.
The play between light and darkness is also prominent in the work, where light becomes almost an additional material that Ben Ari works with. Mental and physical difficulty – of creating paper cutouts but also of moving in unconventional ways, restricted by paper – are the points of contact that the artist created between her muses and her art. Sitting on the floor between the screens with the curator and artist, the members could feel the spirit of both Ticho and Reifer, while observing Ben Ari's moving, thoughtful interpretation.
