Ice cream and art in Tel Aviv Port
Magnum Open Art exhibition brings together eight of Israel’s leading artists who have created works inspired by twentieth century women artists
Hard to imagine what Georgia O’Keefe, Frida Kahlo and Yoko Ono have to do with ice cream on a stick but ice cream, women and art do mix well at the Strauss-Elite Foods sponsored Magnum Open Art exhibition at the Tel Aviv Port.
The exhibit, which opened Monday night, brings together eight of Israel’s leading artists and sculptors who have created works inspired by prominent twentieth century women artists for Open Art which also, not coincidentally, kicked off the Strauss-Elite ice cream season.
Georgia O’Keefe inspired artist Yehoshua Griffith’s work “Girlhood Memories.” The indomitable Yoko Ono and her work for peace inspire David Peer’s “It’s in the Sky.” Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s bed, in miniature, is the centerpiece of “Golden City Bed Floating” rendered by the team of Bracha Bein, Nida Guy and architect Yaakov Macmillan.
Well known artist David Gerstein created a colorful, whimsical mobile of "Women who Wander" homage to Israeli Prize recipient Leah Nikol.
Ofra Strauss, CEO of Strauss-Elite said the exhibit communicates the power of women. “Like art,” she said, “they are aesthetic and powerful.”
The sensual advertising campaign for the rich chocolate and vanilla coated ice cream on a stick is driven by emotional messages like ‘I’m serious’, ‘I’m a revelation’, ‘I’m uncontrollable’ which also provided the artists with inspiration for the project.
Ronen Zohar, Assistant Managing Director of Strauss Ice Cream Division also explained the connection. “The exhibit’s quality, aesthetics, prestige and the power of women all come together in a totally rich and sensuous multi sensory experience like eating a Magnum ice cream bar.”
The eight works are enclosed in Magnum shaped see-through oval cases and are spread out over a 300 meter area along the Tel Aviv port. The waves of the Mediterranean lapping up against the breakfront provide the soundtrack for the Open Art exhibit.
Art triangle
Doron Polak, co-curator said the public space along the water was preferable to a closed museum or gallery. He described the project as a triangle:
“One rib is the inspiration the artists drew from Magnum products; the gold, the brown and the cream colors of the packaging and the ice cream products themselves. The second rib is Strauss which challenged each of the eight internationally known artists to pay homage to a unique woman artist using those emotions tied to the Magnum campaign: I am obsessive, unpredictable, ambitious and so on. The third is of course each artist’s interpretation of these elements.”
The Open Art exhibition is on display for three weeks at the Tel Aviv port and is free of charge.
מומלצים
