Dissolving Myths

Haim Maor

1980

Image

Photograph of wall with a mannequin to the left, posters with Hebrew text and an illuminated triangle on the wall, and a flag to the right. — Maor was a member of The Common Factor: Kibbutz, a group of artists who were interested in criticizing long-held Zionist and socialist beliefs and myths, at a time when many felt that the kibbutz movement was in the process of collapse and dissolution. Maor has written that as a member of Kibbutz Givat Haim Meuchad, he felt that the reality he lived in “was not congruent with the banners still being waved” around him. Dissolving Myths was an expression of his desire to expose the slogans and symbols he had grown up believing in as “empty signs.” A stylized Hebrew letter ק (*kof*) appears above the texts and relates to the words on the three panels on the right, which all begin with that letter.

Credits

Courtesy of the artist.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 10.

Letter to Henrietta Szold

Tiberias, March 7, 1909To the Very Honorable Miss Szold,I am certain that you will be surprised that after a year and a half of silence I am suddenly taking up our correspondence with this long letter…

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Elijah’s Chair

Traditionally, the prophet Elijah is believed to be present at all Jewish circumcision ceremonies, and a chair is reserved for him. It serves as the seat of the godfather, who holds the baby boy…

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Embroidered curtain and valence bearing three crowns and five vessels.

Curtain and Valance for Torah Ark

Although few examples of the work of embroiderer Jacob Koppel Gans remain, he is best known for this Torah ark curtain and valance, dating to 1772 or 1773, made of velvet and embroidered with metallic…

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Creator Bio

Haim Maor

b. 1951

Israeli artist Haim Maor, the child of Holocaust survivors, is known for his works dealing with the Holocaust, memory, and issues of the so-called Second Generation in Israel. His work can be found in the Jewish Museum, New York; the Israel Museum, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and other collections. Since 1999, he has been a professor in the art department at Ben-Gurion University. Dissolving Myths was an audiovisual installation and traveling exhibition presented at kibbutzim and other venues (1980–1983).