Ruth Patir's art installation remains unseen amid calls for peace

The Jewish Museum in New York has recently acquired a significant video installation by artist Ruth Patir, originally commissioned for the Venice Biennale. This piece, titled '(M)otherland,' was never shown due to a decision by Patir and the exhibition curators. They maintained that it would not be displayed until a cease-fire was established and agreements were reached regarding the hostages taken during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. The installation is set to debut in March 2025 at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, after which it will travel to New York following the reinstallation of the Jewish Museum's collection galleries. The acquired work consists of five video pieces; one uniquely responds to the global tragedy stemming from the war in Gaza while the other four videos utilize ancient female figurines. These figurines, retrieved from archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean, depict social narratives that resonate with Patir’s personal experiences, including the challenges of navigating Israeli fertility procedures while dealing with the BRCA gene mutation. The figurines are portrayed in modern-day settings, employing digital animation to bridge the past and present, illustrating a journey of personal and societal significance. Furthermore, the installation features a fifth video component, 'Keening,' which presents a poignant reflection on public mourning and loss in wake of the attacks, using the shattered figurines as a metaphor for the collective grief experienced in the region. Thus, the decision to withhold the exhibition until a humanitarian resolution was met has underscored the deep interconnection between art, personal experience, and broader sociopolitical movements.