‘Journeys and Longings’ by Michal Nachmany

Art exhibit at the Blue Dragon URS127 Gallery at an historical district of Taipei.

On display Nov. 5 – Dec 18. 2016 at Dihua St. 127 (a market area)

When Nachmany visited Dihua Street in 2015, the energy of the market, historical buildings, narrow streets, and the stories of the objects sold at the market, transported her back to the colorful markets of her early life in Jerusalem, Israel. Reimagining and repurposing found objects of daily life is a central theme of Nachmany’s art. Every person and every object has a journey. Nachmany’s technique of integrating mixed media and multi-layered collage work tells new stories about the objects they feature. A ‘collage of memories’ evokes images of ragged edges, blurred pictures, textures, and layers. Nachmany sews together swatches of life through words, images, and colors.

In Nachmany’s exhibit she layers images and objects of daily lives and celebrations, creating a collage of historical images and feeling. The desire to preserve old objects that once were important to us and yet to continue to move forward is a universal theme to all cultures and is a central theme of Nachmany’s ‘Journeys and Longings’ show.

Read article in local paper here— some translations from Google…

One of the media Nachmany uses are scrolls with collaged imagery of historical leaders and of found objects of daily life from Taiwan, Israel, and the United States of America. In this exhibit the artist pays tribute to Chiang Wei-shui (and early 20^th century visionary of an independent Taiwan), as well as to some of the founders and leaders of Israel. In conjunction with the scrolls there are mixed-media art and installations. The exhibit also celebrates life in the family and in the community.

Nachmany grew up in the quiet suburbs of Jerusalem, Israel. Her father immigrated to Israel from Poland at age 12 and took part in the fight for Israel’s independence and later worked in the government of Israel’s first Prime Minister, Mr. David Ben Gurion. At the age of 28 Nachmany immigrated from Israel to New York.

In 2015 the artist had an opportunity to visit Taipei for the first time and she fell in love with the city, its people, and its culture.

As she reflected on her experiences in Taipei and its welcoming community, she recognized many similarities between the cultures of Israel and Taiwan: two ancient cultures and people, both coming into independence in the late 1940s; both countries experienced a huge wave of immigration around the time of their independence, bringing over more than one million new citizens to a small, impoverished land surrounded by hostility.

Thus the immigrant narrative – longing for the past while adjusting to the present — is common to both the Israeli and the Taiwanese cultures. Both countries transitioned from a poor agricultural economy to one that thrive on innovations, creativity, and the resourcefulness of their people. Both countries have experienced and overcome challenging geopolitical situations. In these similarities and connections, her exhibit “Journeys and Longings” was born.

Israel’s history (including collages on scrolls – (the common art form in the East)… plus for fun the famous cartoon charter Doraemon from Japan visiting Jerusalem -(see old city map background)