Jerusalem of galleries

Artful fun: Jerusalem artists show their works and throw a party.

By MIKE SEID
talpiot88 (photo credit: )
talpiot88
(photo credit: )
In addition to the ultra-Orthodox and Knesset members, Jerusalem is also home to a thriving art scene as diverse and complicated as the city itself. "Downtown Jerusalem," an event that opened last week and continues through June 5, should illustrate this fact clearly. Sponsored by the Jerusalem Foundation, the exhibit fills two galleries - the Yellow Submarine Music Center in Talpiot and the Barbur Gallery in Nahlaot - and features the work of 17 artists displaying vastly different styles and viewpoints. Yonatan Amri, the curator, selected a group of artists representing a cross-section of society that includes younger, emerging artists (Avi Sabach, Mashas Zussman) alongside well-known, established ones (Asaf Ben Tzvi, Etti Abargil), women and men, and religious and secular artists. The glue binding them together is that all have chosen the Talpiot industrial zone to house their workshops. All told, Amri believes, the exhibition "paints a multi-faceted picture of creative life in Jerusalem - a charged and magical city, divided and whole, immortal yet on the verge of collapse." In addition to the gallery showings, three special events have been organized as part of Downtown Jerusalem. This afternoon, 15 young comic book creators will show their comics at the Barbur Gallery. The event, which will be accompanied by music and drinks, starts at 1 p.m. On Tuesday, the Yellow Submarine will host an evening of "gallery talks" featuring Amri and the participating artists. A vast celebration will take place next Friday, May 19, at the Volvo-Jaguar garage at Rehov Ha'uman 26. Art will be displayed and available for purchase in the converted garage space, while the studios upstairs will remain open with beer and music aplenty. Downtown Jerusalem runs until June 5 at The Yellow Submarine, located at Rehov HaRechavim 13 in the Talpiot Industrial Area, and at the Barbur Gallery, located at Rehov Shirizli 6 in Nahlaot.