The show is something of a retrospective of some of the artists that have appeared at the popular Tel Aviv music venue over the years.
By BARRY DAVISORIT PNINI’S shots of Betzefer and Gal Toren of Mercedes Band, are some of those featured in the ‘Missing Show?’ exhibition at the Barby Club. (photo credit: ORIT PNINI)
To paraphrase a saying – actually, to mangle it almost out of total recognition – if you can’t hear ‘em, show ‘em.That is one of the underlying messages in the new Missing Show? exhibition, which opens at the Barby club on Wednesday, running through until June 16. The show is something of a retrospective of some of the artists that have appeared at the popular Tel Aviv music venue over the years, with photographs taken by Orit Pnini capturing the acts on stage, alongside some video clips of gigs as well as sketches created by some of the musicians themselves that resonate their performance emotions and experiences at the club. The subjects and creators include some of the biggest names on the local pop and rock scenes, such as Kobi Oz, Eran Tzur, Yehuda Poliker and Rami Fortis.Until last week, no one knew when Barby would be able to reopen the for live entertainment business. Last Sunday, owner Shaul Mizrahi began a hunger strike near the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem but, thankfully, Mizrahi and new Minister of Culture Chili Tropper came to an agreement whereby Mizrahi would rearrange the attendance logistics at the club, allowing a maximum novel coronavirus constraint-compliant crowd of 530 people in the audience to attend gigs.“The exhibition will run until June 16 because we are having our first post-lockdown concert on June 17 – that’s Dudu Tasa,” says Ariela Mizrahi, wife of the owner who, along with Tal Ben Sira, co-curated Missing Show? Due to the attendance restrictions, the internationally renowned ethnic-leaning rocker will also play there on June 18, followed by a couple of sets by veteran rock band Mercedes Band on June 19. “We have to have two shows by each band now, so that we can allow as many people as possible to attend. There is huge demand,” she notes.The idea for Missing Show? actually predates the pandemic. “Tali and I are studying curatorship at Shenkar [College of Engineering and Design, in Ramat Gan],” Mizrahi explains. “During your studies there they prepare you to take on your final project, as a curator.”The co-curator says that the base concept of the exhibition was to offer the public a sliver of the onstage action. “The idea was to base the exhibition on pictures, and video clips Orit has taken at shows – she has been doing that almost since the club’s inception. Her photographs manage to freeze the energy, in real time, exceptionally well both in terms of the artists and the audience too.” That comes across palpably in some of the 30-odd works which take in some highly evocative scenes of shows by the likes of Evyatar Banai, Fortis, groove metal band Betzefer and Mercedes Band.Mizrahi says she was keen to offer live gig-starved culture consumers at least a smidgen of what they have been missing these three months or so. “Originally we thought of showing work by at-risk youth and getting them on board at Barby. But, with the lockdown, all that changed. I saw some online shows and, while I appreciated that, I realized that was nothing compared with the electricity and dynamics you get from going to see musicians perform onstage, in real time. We wanted to convey a bit of that with Missing Show? We have been missing that so much.”There is a protest element to the exhibition too. “When people come to Barby, to see the works, they have to be quiet,” Mizrahi notes. “The video clips are silent because we were forced to keep our mouths shut, we were forced to stop performing music, all this time. It is a sort of protest about that too,” says Mizrahi.Thankfully, the exhibition will come down next Tuesday, for the best of reasons, and make way for the real thing. Mizrahi adds that she is hopeful Barby will be able to get back to full capacity before too long. “Tropper gives the impression of being willing to listen and to try to come up with solutions for the music scene in Israel. Music, and the arts, are such an important part of life,” she says.Viewing times are daily 8 p.m.-11 p.m., to coincide with normal concert slots. Admission is free.For more information: https://www.barby.co.il/
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