DER OLIVENHAIN

In the Bible the olive tree is not only a symbol of hope, it also signifies love, loyalty, purity, and long life. In Israel today, olive groves have tragically become arenas of violent conflict as well as sites of activism and solidarity. These violent disputes include the uprooting of olive trees.

The artists redirect their gaze at the process of industrial harvesting of olives in the younger groves of Israel. In this installation Sigalit Landau and Yotam From show larger than life single olive trees in vertical format; trees of different ages, species, and sizes. These trees are shaken by giant mechanical »hands«. Spectators of »The Olive Grove« can wander across the Theaterplatz through a heterogeneous plantation and are confronted with the fact that the fascinating archaic symbol is now subject to the laws of efficiency and economy. The video installation does not lament this but rather amplifies the poetic biblical yearning. An Israeli and a Syrian Dancer are the physically present protagonists, relating to the trees and their space of meaning. The Theaterplatz becomes a place of grief, of pain, a space to regret and to protest, to be lost, to hope and to love.

The internationally acclaimed, Israeli choreographer Nir de Volff will work together with Landau and From for the first time and create a choreographed performance for the Theaterplatz with an original score by Israeli composer Shushan Isaac. Sigalit Landau is one of Israel's prominent visual artists. With solo exhibitions at MoMA in New York, Documenta in Kassel, and twice representing Israel at the Venice Biennale, she has achieved international recognition at the highest level.