התערוכה 555

The exhibition 555:

The Evolution of a Motif in Contemporary Israeli Art is devoted entirely to the khamsa. The exhibition displays 555 different khamsas and seeks to raise for discussion the contemporary view of the khamsa while highlighting its relevance today.
In recent years, the role of magic in Israeli society has undergone considerable change, expressed in part by the emergence of phenomena such as pilgrimages to the graves of rabbis, interest in and practice of home magic, the use of amulets, sorcery and others. These phenomena are not new however – in fact the opposite is the case. These practices, which have existed since the dawn of history, were forced out of mainstream Israeli public discourse until the 1990s while today, in the age of rating that grants viewers tremendous influence over printed and broadcasted content – they have burst onto the public arena, thereby also fueling counter-reactions.
On the face of it, this seems a power struggle between the elite and the masses, the social or geographical center and the periphery, different political camps, or between other groups in society. In reality, it is a long-standing discourse that began at the dawn of the modern era, when scientific approaches in the western world began to exclude from ‘correct’ culture everything that could not be explained or measured, including magic, superstition, and to an extent God himself (religion). Who is to say which is more effective, a capsule full of a chemical compound or a capsule ‘charged’ with incantations, ceremonies and symbols? In both cases, a person’s
belief in the efficacy of the means of healing – whether folk or medical – plays a significant role in the healing process. The khamsa, similar to a vaccination, protects a person against the evil eye and accompanies him on his journey.
In contrast to previous exhibitions that examined the khamsa as an historic artifact, this exhibition seeks to present it as an integral part of contemporary Israeli culture. At the focal point of the exhibition is the question of Israeli identity and its formation vis-à-vis the Other, whoever they may be. In 2019 Israel, the traditional boundaries of the dichotomy between east and west, between rational and irrational, have been breached and a growing range of people now accept and embrace the khamsa, whether as a means of protection or decoration, adopting the attitude that ‘it can’t hurt’.
The khamsas that have been purchased and created especially for the exhibition, draw their inspiration from the exhibition halls and existing collections of the Museum of Islamic Art that strives to serve as a bridge of understanding and connection between cultures. As both an object and a motif, the khamsa has evolved from Islamic art and the contemporary works shed a new light on the museum’s existing exhibits and artifacts, enriching them with fresh interpretation.

#555