Israeli Museum in Jerusalem Displays Works by Menashe Kadishman — Jerusalem Post
The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Israel, is hosting the exhibition “Urban Nature,” dedicated to works by Israeli artist Menashe Kadishman created between 1969 and 1979. The exhibition includes around 20 works and does not feature any piece from the artist’s well-known series depicting sheep. According to the Jerusalem Post, the exhibition is curated by Amitai Mendelsohn with the participation of Mika Nachteiler.
Works from telephone directories
Among the works on display are pieces based on pages from telephone directories. During a trip to New York, Kadishman was unable to sleep because of the time difference and drew the outlines of nighttime Manhattan visible from his hotel window on a directory page. He later created hundreds of works, using columns, letters and page structures as elements of an urban landscape.
In 1975, the artist created a work for the 10th anniversary of the Israel Museum. Kadishman explained that he initially perceived each text column as a building or skyscraper, and later began working with the page surface itself, finding in it a conventional landscape and paths between the letters.
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Dialogue between city and nature
Kadishman worked with the combination of the natural environment and artificial structures. In the 1970s in New York, he attached large yellow metal panels to tree trunks in Central Park. According to Nachteiler, the artist did not ask permission to do so, and the panels were removed the following day. He also carried out a similar project in Uruguay.
According to Nachteiler, the yellow color reminded the artist of the color of a tractor plowing a field from his time living at Kibbutz Maayan Baruch, where Kadishman worked as a shepherd for three years. The artist also created metal sculptures with cutouts through which trees and the urban landscape could be seen.
Laundry Forest installation
In 1975, near what was then the entrance plaza of the Israel Museum, Kadishman installed the Laundry Forest installation. It consisted of large white sheets suspended on cables, with cut-out tree silhouettes. Visitors could walk through the installation, while wind, sunlight and shadows became part of the work. The “Urban Nature” exhibition will run until November 2027.
