Raphie Etgar

Raphie Etgar (born August 1947) serves as Curator and Artistic Director of the Museum on the Seam since its initiation and establishment in the year 2000. The exhibitions he initiates and curates^[1] deal with issues at the center of public discussion and in the spirit of human rights and civic duties, out of a profound commitment to bring moral and social change through fine contemporary art, and to examine reality and the conflicts it bears in its local and universal contexts in order to advance dialogue in face of disagreement. The museum was chosen by the New York Times as one of the 29 leading art venues around the globe.^[2]

Biography

In 1972, Etgar Graduates from the Bezalel Academy of Arts in Jerusalem.

During the years 1980-1995 Etgar is widely considered as one of the most prominent poster designers in Israel. He creates over one thousand posters and prints to most of the theater plays in Israel as well as to the main cultural events that took place during those years. Among them; most of the Khan Theatre posters; The first "Theatroneto" festival for solo performances poster at the Habima Theatre; Most of the Jerusalem International Film Festival posters; The poster for the first Acre Festival for Alternative Theater and the ones to follow; Posters for the first years of the Israel festival; A poster celebrating David Ben Gurion's centennial that took place in New York, participated by world leaders; A series of four posters celebrating the massive Jewish immigration from the USSR during those years, ordered by the World Zionist Federation; A poster to mark Israel Museum's 25th anniversary, and for Israel's independence day celebrating the Hebrew language. Etgar also responds to Israel's foreign ministry request by designing a poster that will accompany the Israeli delegation to the peace negotiations in Oslo.

In 1995, following the murder of the late Yitzhak Rabin, Etgar initiates privately for the first time, a poster for the event that eventually becomes a stepping stone and an icon of his work, and would later open his solo exhibition at the Israel Museum.

In the course of these intensive years of creation, Etgar is invited to lecture and direct projects in academies and art institutions throughout Europe, including:

Akademie der Künste, Berlin \ National College of Art and Design, Dublin \ Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna \ Hochschule der Künste, Zurich \ Akademija Likovnih Umjetnosti, Sarajevo \ Kunstakademie, Düsseldorf \ Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Stuttgart

During the years 1990-1999, Etgar is invited to serve as an Art Director and Artist in Residence to the renowned S. FISHER publishing house in Germany. As part of his work he initiates a project that incorporates many leading authors and creates art works inspired by their books. Project "Bücher werden Plakate" involved Noble Prize winning authors such as: Nadine Gordimer, J. M. Coetzee and Kenzaburo Oe among others. His work with these renowned authors created a unique dialogue between the artistic and literary worlds that enriched the reading experience through the visual one.

In 2000 Etgar initiates the exhibition COEXISTANCE^[3]: an international project that incorporates many leading poster designers from around the globe. The project was displayed in over 35 cities in different continents and called for mutual understanding between fellow nations and religions. Its global Journey was endorsed and supported by world leaders and thinkers.

Curated Exhibitions

2005- DEAD END which dealt with the violence within Israeli society.
2006- EQUAL AND LESS EQUAL that focused on the issues of discrimination exploitation and humiliation.
2007- BARE LIFE about the personal and public consequences of a prolong state of emergency that becomes legitimized;
2008- HEARTQUAKE that examined the central role of anxiety in human interactions with their surroundings, thus examining the dynamics of social and political interactions.
2009- NATURE NATION that dealt with the complexity of encounters between humans with their natural environment.
2010- THE RIGHT TO PROTEST about the obligation that comes with the privilege of protest.
2011- WEST END about the clash of civilizations between Islam and the west and the possible consequences.
2012- BEYOND MEMORY faces the viewers with works of art that expose images delved from the archives of repression and denial of fears and anxieties from our past experiences, in an attempt to learn from them how to avoid repeating past mistakes.
2013- FLESH & BlOOD that calls upon us to look at flesh and blood as a fabric that connects all living beings to one family and to treat it with respect and compassion.
2013- EVERYONE CARRIES A ROOM INSIDE that examines loneliness as a major contemporary phenomenon, gaining more and more impact on people’s lives.