A giant mosaic, created by 60 youth and children in Ofakim, will soon be sent to New York to be sold. The mosaic was part of a project called “New Ofakim (Horizons)” which has been going on for almost eight years, led by the social artists David Weckstein, with assistance from the Jewish Agency/Partnership 2000 and funding from the MetroWest community.

Some 60 young people aged 8-18 participated in the “New Ofakim” group. Together with another 60 pupils from Nazareth and Ramle and art students from the Bezalel School of Art, they created a mosaic floor of 170 square meters. The mosaic pictures an enlarged drawing from the period of the Second World War in which the Statue of Liberty is sailing in the ocean on a base shaped like a Star of David with a sword in her hand instead of a torch.

Weckstein explains why he chose that particular drawing: “Through the choice of a caricature and the images which were mobilized for propaganda and getting a “message” across, I have focused on the place of art as a manipulative and propaganda medium. The mosaic emphasizes the “preservation of the past”, of “quality”. The gap between the direct propaganda of a caricature and a useful illustration from the newspaper and the mosaic and archaeology which in theory has completed its political function, but is protected and eternal, carved in “stone from Jerusalem”, connects the contemporary with the historical which often switch time, place and function. The mosaic is both the creation and joint work of the participants, the educators and the artist which emphasizes the meaning of cooperation and joint effort as an alternative to violent dialog.”

The mosaic, whose parts were assembled at Kibbutz Beeri, is now on its way to the “White Box” public gallery in Chelsea, New York. It will be on display from May 2005. The gallery is financed by funds and non-profit organizations and is one of only a few galleries in New York which maintains a social/experimental character. The revenues from the sale of the work will be used towards the continued funding of the project in the future.

For more details: Rinat Sagi, Spokesman for the Southern Region 052-8991748