Meital Manor
Atelier
Dana Yoeli | Atelier
At the entrance to Dana Yoeli's one woman show, Atelier, one meets at first glance the searching eyes of Theodora, from the mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravena. This image of Theodora hung as a small reproduction in the studio of the artist's grandmother, ceramic artist Agi Yoeli (1921-2018).
This image is now part of a large-scale still life installation, which includes fabrics, personal belongings of the artist Pinchas Litvinovsky (who lived in the house until his death in 1987), original pieces of furniture from the house, site specific terra cotta sculptures sculpted by Yoeli for the exhibition, extinguished candles and a miniature diorama, all coming together into a theatrical setting which resonates as a theater facade. In this Yoeli corresponds with the history of the house and the gallery space that was used on its two levels for theater performances and intimate shows that were put on for the many guests who frequented the house.
In "Atelier" Yoeli examines the conceptual figure of “the artist” and the space in which they work, she creates an atelier within an atelier, which is most clearly seen in the diorama work, but also in the terra-cotta arm sculptures which hang beneath the two arches that decorate the gallery space, titled "the artist's hands - left and right" . the artist's hands are sculpting themselves in the work "I'll show you how". These works bring to mind the intergenerational artistic dialogue that is also reflected in the title of the exhibition group: “women of the house".
Pinchas Litwinowski's personal belongings and pieces of furniture form a significant part of the installation, creating a sensation of an "absent present" and the unity between the past artist's studio and the studio of the artist exhibiting in the space, raises a question regarding the nature a female artist works in the home of a male artist, and at the same time maintaining a dialogue between what There is and what there is not. In addition, a site specific project in this house, currently at a state of continuous change towards a strict preservation, brings to the front a pondering on the way in which heritage museums and historical houses shape consciousness, with the same power that their absence erases from consciousness.