“Tal Amitai: Requiem for a Fantasy of Happiness”
A catalogue essay for Tal Amitai: (Temporary) Happiness
Janco-Dada Museum, Ein Hod
Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art
March – November 2004
The central theme of this exhibition was the wedding ceremony, one of the most significant cultural symbols – the fantasy of ultimate happiness. The metaphorical anchor of the installation was the Versailles disaster as a story of an illusion and its shattering. Excerpts from the tragic testimonies of the wedding guests were incorporated into the carpet’s margins. Together, the five sculptural objects on display generated a setting that resonates with the decor of a banquet hall signified as a site of catastrophe. The sentimental and tragic excess of the images was treated with brittle, minimalist frugality characteristic of Tal Amitai’s sculptural language. Akin to empty shells, the objects comprised the exhibition highlighted the concentration on surface appearance and decoration.
“Tal Amitai: Requiem for a Fantasy of Happiness”
A catalogue essay for Tal Amitai: (Temporary) Happiness
Janco-Dada Museum, Ein Hod
Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art
March – November 2004
The central theme of this exhibition was the wedding ceremony, one of the most significant cultural symbols – the fantasy of ultimate happiness. The metaphorical anchor of the installation was the Versailles disaster as a story of an illusion and its shattering. Excerpts from the tragic testimonies of the wedding guests were incorporated into the carpet’s margins. Together, the five sculptural objects on display generated a setting that resonates with the decor of a banquet hall signified as a site of catastrophe. The sentimental and tragic excess of the images was treated with brittle, minimalist frugality characteristic of Tal Amitai’s sculptural language. Akin to empty shells, the objects comprised the exhibition highlighted the concentration on surface appearance and decoration.
