Sabbath 2008
Video, 7:12 min, 2008
The work Sabbath 2008 documents the closing down of the ultra-orthodox neighborhoods in and around Jerusalem on the eve of the Sabbath. In most cases, public access to these neighborhoods is blocked by means of temporary barriers, which stay put for 24 hours – thus creating an artificial border between these areas and the rest of the city. The barriers are put in place by neighborhood residents, with the approval and support of the Jerusalem municipality and the police. Once the barriers are erected, no cars are allowed into Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox neighborhoods. The city is thus topologically transformed into two cities – with and without cars. Building on this ritual, Sabbath 2008 is a photographic ritual that can only be performed at a designated time and in designated places. Although the value of these somewhat rickety barriers may appear above all symbolic, their presence is a source of friction and conflict; they delineate a clear-cut boundary between the sacred and the mundane. (N.P.)
Artist's Bio:
Nira Pereg’s work deals with ways that social structures intersect with the authority of the individual. Typically, her projects are documentary based, but transform reality into an quasi-theatrical events. Using complex editing techniques and various-scaled multimedia installations, Pereg’s interest in socials schemes draws on a unique and personal perspective. “Re-looking” is a primary concern in her work practice and her everyday life, and often builds on periods of intense travel and close observations.
Pereg, born in in Israel, spent the 90s in New-York, where she received a B.F.A from Cooper Union at New York USA. On her return to Israel, she graduated from the Bezalel M.F.A studio program in Jerusalem, and has been teaching internationally ever since.
Pereg’s works have been exhibited at PS 1 New York, Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian Institution, DC, USA, HDK Berlin, KW Berlin, ZKM Karlsruhe, the Israeli Museum of Art in Jerusalem, House Der Kunst Munchen, Edith- Ruß-Haus für Medienkunst, Kusntahlle Dusseldorf, The Israeli Museum and the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art, and at various festival and galleries, recently a receiver of the Nathan Gottesdiener Foundation Israeli Art Prize for young artist.