Sacred Goods

Saturday, 04.08.18, 20:00

Sunday, 17.02.19

:

Shaked Shamir

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This exhibition focuses on the responses of contemporary artists to issues of religion and faith in the contemporary global reality, which is dominated by the consumer culture. In recent decades, various cultures and places around the world have witnessed a surprising religious revival. Theorist Boris Groys argues that in a world that has renounced the grand secular ideologies, the return to religion fulfills the need for meaning. Contemporary religions offer answers to the ills of the modern world and the sense of emptiness that pervades this era of extreme individualism and aggressive capitalism. Their success lies in their ability to combine religious ritual with the use of digital means, which grant them unlimited distribution capacity.

Despite their growth, the various religions must confront the impact of globalization on their believers. Consumer culture dictates a superficial interest in religious products and techniques, while ignoring the philosophical and ethical meanings of religion. The reduction of religion from a system of beliefs, values, and symbols to commodities is expressed in the works of Ido Abramsohn, Esther Naor, and Brian Ulrich, presented in this exhibition. Artists Gabi Ben Avraham and Tony Leone shift their photographical focus from the product to its buyers, thereby demonstrating the centrality of the act of shopping in constructing the identity of most of the denizens of the Western world.

Notably, the relationship between religion and consumption does not end with commodities and products, since consumption itself displays the characteristics of a religion. Already in the late nineteenth century, writer Émile Zola crowned consumption as the new religion, in which religious rituals in a church have been replaced by purchasing ceremonies at a department store. In the contemporary context, the artists participating in the exhibition employ religious symbols to criticize the encroachment of the consumer culture on our lives in general, and on the religious sphere in particular. The artists also criticize the way religions use consumer values and practices in order to prosper in the contemporary reality.

The image of crucified Jesus appears as a subversive element in the works of Jani Leinonen, Magnus Gjoen, and Nick Stern – provocative works that address the collaboration between religious systems and the consumer culture. In the local context, Ariane Littman challenges religious and state symbols, using marketing strategies in order to illuminate and critique the commercialization of the Holy Land. Vania Heymann and the artist duo Pool & Marianela take a humoristic approach, mixing icons and religious rituals with the characteristics of consumer culture.

In a reality wherein globalization aspires for cultural unification, religion offers its followers the illusion of a return to their roots and to distinctive local traditions. The return to religion, as a contemporary global trend, appears in the work of Karam Natour, which addresses the power of female deities originating in ancient traditions. The subjects photographed by Andi Arnovitz are captured in intimate contemplation of God, expressing the personal attraction to religion. The installation by Elodie Abergel draws connections between humanity's collective desire to approach God, and commodity items that embody spirituality in the material world.

 

Participating artists: Elodie Abergel, Ido Abramsohn, Gabi Ben Avraham, Magnus Gjoen, Vania Heymann, Jani Leinonen, Tony Leone, Ariane Littman, Esther Naor, Karam Natour, Pool & Marianela, Nick Stern

 

 

 

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