Together

Past Exhibition

24.02.2006 - 31.03.2006

Only rarely do you get the opportunity to witness the joint work of two artists – mother and son, as is presented to us in this exhibition. Here you gave us a special opportunity to enter, on our toes, into their home – the world of the Ben Dov family members.

Precisely from a threatening and critical situation in family life, which in many cases paralyzes and suppresses creative activity, a unique, fruitful and wonderful collaboration emerges, merging the talent of Mara and Yoav into a unique series of works. The exhibition documents the emotional and artistic awakening process of the two creators during a short period of difficult personal tests. The axis of the plot, which unfolds before our eyes, moves between the house in Ein Hod, through the landscapes of the country known for its tribulations, to a place where Yoav and his mother met in the studio in Biffa, which became a stronghold of mental and creative energies. In the compound, where they closed themselves together, they put brush on top of brush, hand on top of hand, paint on paint and line on line – the experiences and emotions that went through them in the last year. The shared window of Mera and Yoav, from which they look out to the outside world, is the same one, which allows us to look through it, at his heart and mercy, into their inner selves. The themes of Israeli existence that appear in the exhibition: the house, the flag, the corral, the trees and the flocks of sheep, challenge the visitor to connect them to the personal/intimate themes, and to the mother-son relationship, which are drawn with such impressive sensitivity and delicacy, and touch each of us.

article by Dr. Mordechai Tomarkin

Mother & Son Together
by Gavriel Engel

An exhibition that comes out of heroism. Out of the many symbolism of different ways of expressing the one. Rachel makes her sons cry, Hana takes revenge. Is the power that creates life, is the main resource in our world to create new life.
This creation is the source of strength and power that will bring to fruition, that fetus that grows in her womb, and which she carries for nine months. She is the only one who can give birth to him and create perfection – man. The son is a continuation, he is subject to choices between good and evil, he can choose to continue in the way of any flesh, or in the spirit. Cain and Abel or perhaps rather the blind obedience of the sacrifice offered to the one who comes. But what mother would give up her children?
Solomon’s sentence: two women a baby and a king and only the real mother will not give up life, will give up mothers but not life. The son, even if he is disobedient and rebellious or clean and pure, will revolve around the mother – Hagar or Rebecca. Arm in arm they formed the whole. She who carried him within her, and he who will continue the renewed creation to the next great mother.