Art and identity - between West and East

The move of Bezalel, as an art academy, to the new building in the city center of Jerusalem is a starting point for a discussion on the essence of art in the Israeli space as part of the Mediterranean culture. The emphasis in the course will be on the modes of artistic expression and the self-identity of Arab and Palestinian artists and artists working in the Israeli space and as part of the Mediterraneanism. This platform will be a basis for discussing the question of identity - between East and West, and the place of minority groups in the discourse that exists in the Israeli and global art field. A discussion of the works will allow a renewed examination of the definition of East and West, and an examination of religion as a shaper of civilization, according to Huntington's platform in "The Clash of Civilizations", against the Orientalism of Edward Said. We will examine the different ways of expression of artists, the extent to which their boundaries are expanding, and how this is perceived by foreign eyes. Additional issues will arise such as: the spheres of action of Arab-Palestinian art and the extent of its acceptance within the Israeli artistic field; gender and body; display sites; ties and connections with Arab and Islamic culture; Landscapes of the homeland and the limits of the legitimacy of the definition of the homeland. Through viewing and observing the works of Palestinian Arab artists in Israel, a discussion will be opened on the desires and wishes in creation, misunderstandings, and the various forms in which a cultural dialogue is created between Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, Middle Eastern art and different cultures or realities. This is an experiential course, which will be a sort of gateway to understand and feel the Orient.