The Jerusalem Biennale was founded in 2013 as a platform for curators and artists seeking to show contemporary exhibits and artworks that touch, in one way or another, on the Jewish world of content. The Biennale has become a centerpiece of the city’s art scene featuring dozens of art exhibitions by hundreds of artists from Israel and abroad. The exhibits are mounted in museums, galleries, public venues, and as pop-ups throughout Jerusalem, alongside music, dance performances, theater, and discourse. So far six Jerusalem Biennales have been held, and we are now gearing up for the seventh.
The theme of the seventh Jerusalem Biennale, De Profundis (ממעמקים), prompts exploration of many and varied issues. Our point of departure is the need to gaze into our very hearts and souls. Such introspection is an essential step for therapy, rehabilitation, healing, and rebuilding. The descent into our depths invites the meticulous excavating and dissecting of key issues, down to their roots, so as to uncover them layer by layer, employing the mental fortitude necessary to draw out revival from our emotional, sensory, and symbolic depths. This is an essential task, as revealing these layers reflects courageous and proactive engagement, both in thought and in action. Thus, like diamonds mined from deep within the earth, De Profundis also expresses a forward-looking gaze, hope and optimism.
Naturally, all of this relates to the events of October 7th and the ensuing war, which sent shockwaves through Israel and the world. Like an earthquake, when a gaping hole opens in the earth’s surface, October 7th brought up pain, loss, brokenness, and disappointment, alongside solidarity, growth, and hope, all of which require both coping and processing. The assumptions that were upended, the truths that emerged, and the old order that was called into question, taught us that reality is dynamic, and demands organizing anew. Since October 7th, everything that lay underground took on chilling meanings. This is an invitation to propose a curatorial and artistic discussion of the concepts of above and below the surface, the exposed and the concealed, the concealed and that waiting to be revealed, that which is accessible and that which cannot be accessed.
In addition to these themes, yet directly related thereto, the title De Profundis prompts a discussion of the place and power of prayer. The words “Out of the Depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord” [Psalms 130:1] are about calling out to God for help, salvation, and rescue from moments of distress and danger, as well as expressing metaphorical anguish. This psalm, which is recited on Yom Kippur and in some communities every day of the Ten Days of Repentance, has been added to the regular liturgy in many congregations since Tishrei 5784 as a tangible expression of turbulent times and to offer the consolation that many find in prayer.