Seeds of the Land

Engaging with early botanical painters Shmuel Charuvi and Aharon Halevy, Israeli artists such as Larry Abramson, Ori Gersht, Esther Knobel, Dafna Kaffeman, and Eliezer Sonnenschein grapple with the significance of the local flora as symbols of cultural and national identity. Their personal perspective on the subject matter is at times political and critical, at times allegorical, and at times steeped in a yearning for nature that is mingled with fear for its fate – and our own. The lavishly illustrated exhibition catalogue presents in-depth essays by curator Tamar Manor-Friedman and scholars Ariel Hirschfeld and Dror Burstein, who broaden the discussion to include the fields of literature and poetry as well as art. The exhibition and catalogue are a joint project of Da’at HaMakom and the Israel Museum.