BEZALEL TAKES THE BEST OF CONTEMPORARY ISRAELI ART TO GERMANY

Jerusalem and Berlin 14 April 2010: This evening, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, one of the leading academies of its kind in the world, opens an exhibition of contemporary work from its students and Alumni at the Universitat der Kunst, the leading University of Arts, Design, and Architecture in Berlin. The exhibition, entitled "100 Jahre Jung: Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem" is the result of an historic and close relationship between The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and German art and design, and demonstrates the progress in building cultural links between Israel and Germany.

The opening, attended by Mr. Yoram Ben Zeev - the Israeli Ambassador to Germany, Professor Martin Rennert- President of the UDK Berlin and Professor Arnon Zuckerman, President of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, brings to the German capital a revised and updated version of the Academy's previously successful exhibition in Paris.

The exhibition includes the best of the contemporary works of Bezalel graduates from the last five years from all of Bezalel's Academic Departments: Fine Arts, Architecture, Photography, Ceramic and Glass Design, Industrial Design, Jewelry and Fashion, Visual Communication and Screeen Based Arts. It showcases the wide variety of the Academy's creative output, and reinforces its position both as a leading institution in developing culture in Israel and a significant influencer on the international art and design scene.

The exhibition heralds a new era of cooperative ventures between Bezalel with Europe in general and Germany in particular and extends the Academy's relationship with Germany that goes back over a century to the institution's inception. Bezalel's founders were affiliated to the Bauhaus academy. The Academy's original executive committee was based in Berlin before 1914 and again from 1935 until the outbreak of the Second World War, when Bezalel became a refuge for the escaping German-Jewish artistic and creative community during the Second World War.

Now, in this exhibition, Bezalel is bringing to Germany the message of contemporary Israeli Art and Design, which leads the world in innovation, uses local materials, and creates a strong impact. It extends the strong links with Germany that manifest themselves in Bezalel's successful international student exchange program, which sees a higher number of German exchange students at Bezalel than from anywhere else in the world apart from the USA, and a high number of  Bezalel students going on exchange in Germany. There is a consistently high demand from Germany to come and study at Bezalel.

Bezalel is striving to expand the exchange programs to include faculty exchanges, joint research projects, additional exhibitions and long term projects. This exhibition reflects a major part of Bezalel's vision to play a central role in stage of International Arts and Design and it is hoped that Bezalel will take the exhibition to additional locations in Europe, North America and throughout the world.

Professor Arnon Zuckerman, President of the Bezalel Academy said: "This is an exciting point in the history of Bezalel, bringing the Academy back to its origins in Berlin, but doing so in a progressive way by showcasing an innovative collection of our best contemporary work. We are delighted to be here in Berlin because it is widely acknowledged as a city which is a crucible of creativity and it reflects Bezalel's ethos perfectly. Both Berlin – UdK in particular – and Bezalel are places that absorb and mix influences from different cultures. Both are committed to nurturing talent, fostering creativity and opportunity amongst all communities, irrespective of ethnicity and background, and both aim to develop understanding, innovation and inspiration by mixing cultural influences and using the latest interdisciplinary approaches. Bezalel's success in doing so, and by being here in the cultural heart of Europe, is tremendously important not only for the global creative community, but for the international perception of Israel as a creative powerhouse."

German Press Coverage (Partial)