The Coming Community

Tamir Zadok

The story of the "ancient" mosaic featured in the exhibition, which supposedly inspired the creation of Picasso's painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon in the early 20^th century, transforms the familiar historical interpretation of this artwork. In addition to being an archeological artifact of national significance, which alludes to ancient Jewish life in the country, the mosaic also reveals new connections between local art and Picasso's art, which greatly influenced the rise of modernism. The fact that the mosaic's authenticity has been cast into doubt sheds new light on the construction of national identity, which is often based on archeological vestiges and structured historical narratives, as well as on the artwork's political context. In this work, Zadok reveals the fragility of historical facts, and undermines the perception of history as an objective narrative; more specifically, he questions the local national narrative that builds on such artifacts, while alluding to the manner in which academic and sociopolitical strategies work to construct identity.  

Born in Israel, 1979; lives and works in Tel Aviv