Thereafter

Solo show of Renana Neuman

Barbur Gallery, Jerusalem, 2021

This exhibition consists of video works and drawings by the artist Renana Neuman, who explores the transformation of forms, and juxtaposes animation along with documentations of ancient artifacts, as a way to describe how fragmented historical narratives affect our consciousness on culture and history. Informed by ethnographic displays, archival materials as well as ancient sites, which are imbued in her videos, these all begin to alter, shifting forms to a more playful and animated version. By appropriating antiquities and animating them, the work conveys a sense of urgency, raising questions about identity, belonging, (dis)placement and ownership. Throughout Neuman’s work, there are whimsical figures and shapes that are light and organic, carrying a flowing line, which at times feels accidental. The figures appearing both in the videos and in the drawings convey a sense of intimacy, due to their movement and lightness; they turn and swirl, stretch and recoil, as though swallowed, and yet remain connected to the previous shape they inhabited.

In the video DAYDREAMING and Weaponizing Vulnerability (both from the series “Temporarily Removed”), Neuman documents objects of antiquity, which she alters by carving their eyes, moths, or other parts, increasingly separating them from their original shape. That distinction and disconnect between the primary source and its abstract evolvement, presents a metaphor for places and people that morph, and in some cases erased, or slowly removed from their origin. The animation in these videos, which contain linear and delicate forms, similar to those seen in the drawings, appear as though the artist is creating a symbol, a new icon, or even an identity. For example, the circular shape that appears in DAYDREAMING, originated from a dismembered arm of an ancient wooden sculpture, which in the video eventually becomes an emblem, or a new code for other shapes to evolve from. This notion of creating a new form and erasing an old one, offers a deeper investigation on the notion of origin (native) and its displacement, be it objects, people, or land. Is it possible to change the origin of something? What does it mean to modify something that is deeply rooted? In her work Overreach, the shape of the hand elongates and changes into a form of a root or a tree, only to retract and become a hand again, as though forever trapped in this endless cycle of gripping and detaching. This brings up questions pertaining to the idea of belonging, which are suggested throughout the show and in other works as well: How does one connect to a culture and a place? Is it important that we know where we come from and what our origin is? Will that information give us a sense of belonging?

Throughout the exhibition, the video works take on a sculptural element in that they are not contained within a frame or a screen, but are projected on objects, columns, ceilings, etc., treating the gallery like an empty canvas. This exhibition marks Neuman’s completion of her month-long, “East/West Residency” at Barbur Gallery. In addition to older works presented in this show, also exhibiting is a newly made piece that was realized during her time here. Entitled Daphne, this work is comprised from a classroom table, onto which Neuman projects images of swaying and dandling figures layered on top of another. The table itself is marked with graphite drawings and carvings the artist engraved on it, recalling actions of students tattooing their thoughts and expressing their emotions onto this surface. The drawings include depictions of plants, which she found from her wandering around Jerusalem, particularly in the contested East/West border, separating the city physically, socially and mentally. The table also consists of fragmented sentences inspired by people she met in these areas. By transcending these experiences onto this surface, Neuman is able to scrutinize the essence of belonging from another angle, finding ways to express this notion without getting trapped in educational frameworks that often segregates and resists to look beyond definitions.