The Israel Pavilion's doors remain closed. What message does Ruth Patir have for modern society?

Silent Protest and Prayer at the Israel Pavilion

The Venice Biennale has always served as a mirror reflecting global tensions, and this year the Israeli Pavilion was at the center of it all. Controversy surrounding the war with Hamas intensified, and many artists signed a petition calling for the pavilion to be banned. However, the organizers of the Biennale, valuing artistic freedom, supported Israel's participation.

Patir says, "On September 7, 2023, I was informed that I had been nominated as an artist for the Israel Pavilion. I was very excited, as I had been dreaming of this project for many years. However, on October 7, tragedy occurred between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic organization that effectively controls the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian Territory. A terrible war began, and the shock of that incident shattered my dreams and turned to sadness." Believing that she could change the situation, she participated in anti-war demonstrations almost every week, but the tragedy only grew worse.

Patir felt that she could no longer turn a blind eye to what was happening in the world and act as if things were normal. Struggling with her sadness and anguish over the current situation and her long-held dream of participating in the Biennale as an artist, Ruth Patir, along with curators Mira Lapidot and Tamar Margalit, decided to temporarily suspend the exhibition, displaying a simple and modest sign: "We will resume the exhibition only when a ceasefire and the release of the hostages are agreed upon."

"By doing so, we asked people to join us in waiting for the exhibit to open," she says.

It expresses the hope that those who hope for the pavilion doors to open will also pray for a ceasefire and join in prayer with the women.

Their actions symbolize the role of art, which uses creativity rather than weapons to protest the current situation we live in and give people the power to think. I sincerely hope that their prayers will be answered, peace will come, and the Israel Pavilion will be able to welcome visitors back as soon as possible (the Venice Biennale will run until November 24, 2024).

What is Ruth Patil's "(M)otherland"?

Ruth Patir's exhibition "(M)otherland" is a video installation that combines modern technology with female figurines excavated in the ancient Levant from the 8th to 6th centuries BC.

The exhibition begins with Patir's new work, "Keening," created against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas, encouraging visitors to the pavilion to share their emotions. "I wanted the audience to enter the space feeling the same sadness and anger that I was feeling," says Patir.

The work makes full use of 3D animation and motion capture technology to breathe life and movement into the usually unseen figures of ancient women. The women, who are missing limbs, move animatedly in the video, marching through the city expressing sadness and anger. These figures represent the suffering of women who have survived a long history of war and loss.

The climax of the exhibition, "(M)otherland," which also serves as the title of the exhibition, is inspired by Patil's own experience of freezing her eggs. She sublimates this process into video art, unfolding a story featuring an ancient female figure as the protagonist.

The part of the video currently being released in the press release depicts the egg freezing process, conversations with the doctor, and the examination, but there is something unsettling about it. This may be because the protagonist on screen does not convey any sense of expectation, and instead the emotionlessness of the doctor who simply mechanically carries out the prescribed procedures stands out.

This is likely the artist's intention: "(M)otherland" sheds light on the complexities inherent in egg freezing, a new women's right, and questions and provokes reflection on the social pressures placed on women torn between work and childbirth.

"Motherland" and "Other land"

In many countries, including Japan, egg freezing is still expensive and only affordable for a select few women. However, Israel is one of the few countries that encourages egg freezing and provides financial support for unmarried women over the age of 30.

In Judaism, Jewish identity is said to be passed down through the mother. This means that Jewish women need to give birth to children in order to protect and inherit the Jewish state. "Motherland" also refers to the Jewish "homeland," or Israel.

On the other hand, "(M)otherland" has a double meaning: "Other land," which refers to anything other than that. It seems to express the sense of alienation that arises between a sense of belonging in Israel and social expectations, as well as the yearning for freedom in "Other land."

Ruth Patil is one of the women who has struggled between this national ideal and her reproductive rights. In 2019, she was diagnosed with a BRCA gene mutation, which increases the risk of cancer. Doctors recommended that she have her genitals removed, but she chose to undergo fertility treatment, fully funded by the government, before that and freeze her eggs.

On the other hand, she revealed, "I was single and wasn't sure if I wanted to be a mother, but in Israel it's not easy to make such a choice."

"It remains difficult to be a successful mother; women are constrained by a male-dominated social order," she points out.

Childbirth is a universal theme that many women are forced to make a choice about. Ruth Patil chose to freeze her eggs without knowing her own answer to the question of childbirth. Perhaps her unique expression is to reflect the emotions and questions she felt from that experience in her art, and to provide an opportunity for all people living in modern society to think about these issues.

Perhaps it is filled with a wish and hope for a society in which women can decide whether or not to become mothers based on their own values, and a society that recognizes and supports the diverse ways in which women live their lives.