Thursday, May 10, 2007

Isaac Celnikier

Yellow Badge appears on the Self Portrait of painter Isaac Celnikier (b. 1923, Warsaw). Isaac Celnikier is a survivor from Auschwitz. In March 2005 Krakow's national museum exhibited his works under the title Time of Tears… the Time of Hatred… the Time of War…


Eric Vanounou, Post-Jew-Complex

Eric Vanounou, Post-Jew-Complex Yellow Badge art israeliA work from the series Post-Jew-Complex. While the Yellow Badge is a yellow Star of David, two interlaced triangles, we see here a variation: two interlaced yellow squares. I thought it might help to the understanding of this work if we’ll read an excerpt from a poem written by Eric Vanounou (my translation)

You shouldn’t paint what you see
What you see is a lie
I keep reminding myself
Drive away nature!
Drive away nature!
I pile up layers on layers
Brighten distance blacken closeness
Color from the tube, glue, and shellac
Fasten my grip on the new horizons
That were un-recognizably blurred
Yellow ocher mixed in a desert-space
Photo is courtesy of Eric Vanounou
Copyrights: Eric Vanounou

Hatikvah

Hatikvah jewish starPhoto is courtesy of Anat Aderet, who wrote to me that this paper cut with a Magen David is titled Hatikvah and it is composed of the words of our national hymn with adornments in the shape of hearts, flowers and Star of David, in the hope that our vision to become a free nation in our land will come true.
IMHO the Jewish people’s most prominent characteristic is the hope for Redemption which is symbolized by the Star of David, the Star of Redemption as Franz Rosenzweig called it.
Most people don't know that Hatikvah, (The Hope) was much longer in the original poem than it is now. 
Copyrights: Anat Aderet

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Cheapening The Holocaust

Ido Keinan quotes on his blog from Hagar Zimerman’s suggestion in the Forum of Green Leaf, her movement, to make a provocation towards next Marijuana Day- to prepare a yellow leaf, similar to the Yellow Badge, because she thinks that what the public is doing to Marijuana users is similar to what the Nazis did to Jews in the Holocaust. This proposition got many comments e.g. Noam wrote that the Israelis would react to this suggestion in the same way they reacted to the Orange Badge – in other words: they will hate it.

UFO

Rami Oshri reported on 18th February 2006 in Hebrew on the web site of Idan Hadly that On Succoth 2005 at 20:30 a UFO in the shape of a Hexagram was seen above the old train station in Kfar Yehoshua.

Yellow Badge Painters

I started collecting photos of paintings in which there are Yellow Badges. My first impression is that close to the holocaust the Yellow Badges in these paintings were small and realistic and only closer to our days they became big and abstract. It seems that memory intensifies this unique emblem.

In order to see what I found till now search on this site for:
Dr. Martin Kieselstein
Samuel Bak
Yaakov Agam
Jacques Heller
Roni Reuven
Reli Wasser
Zoya Cherkassky
felix nussbaum
Hersz Schilis
Helena Olomotzki
Esther Luria
Ella Liberman Shibber
Isic adolf feder
Jaques Gotko
Charlot Borschova
Eric Vanounou
Robert Fisch
Akiva Kenneth Segan

P.S.
Self Portrait of painter Isaac Celnikier

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Empty Cola Bottle Holder

Empty Cola Bottle Holder HexagramPhoto is courtesy of sisushka who published it on Flickr during a KarMUN party in Budapest. Looks like an interesting creative idea. In fact you can make similar holders for every six containers, like conserve cans etc.