This is the 4th Jerusalem Biennale for Contemporary Jewish Art and it will showcase the work of about 200 professional artists both Israeli and international. You will find dozens of installations and exhibitions in different venues around the city and it will run until late November. This event is a one not to miss for art and culture lovers as it will explore the region where contemporary art mixes with the Jewish world. You will get to see the work of 200 professional artists both Israeli and international in 30 exhibitions and about 14 venues around the city, it is a unique encounter not to miss for art lovers.

Event The theme for the event this year is “For Heaven’s Sake” (L’shaymShamayim) and it refers to the popularly known Mishnaic verse. This means any dispute that is for Heaven’s sake will ultimately endure and the one that is not for the sake of Heaven will not ultimately endure. According to the founder of Jerusalem Biennale, the event will explore issues like what motivates artists to create. You can head to the main YMCA exhibition, where you will find diverse works of Muslim and Jewish Moroccan artists along with the Israeli and French artists of Moroccan descent. Its theme is Ziara, Moroccan Common Wisdom and it highlights the historical and contemporary connections between individuals and places in Morocco and Jerusalem. With contemporary Moroccan art and fashion, you will get to discover Hebraic foundations which are popularly known as the heart of Moroccan culture. The former YMCA indoor pool gives you the opportunity to watch a video installation by Yugoslavian-American Marina Abramovic. You will get to immerse yourself in the hypnotic sounds of 108 chanting of Tibetan monks in Waterfall. You will also find a mind-blowing installation by American-Israeli Andi Arnovitz in the opposite wall which is titled I’m Not, look for the loner swimming upstream from more than a thousand hand-painted porcelain fish.

The Wolfson Museum for Jewish Art located at HechalShlomo will host several Biennale exhibitions such as Living Under Water which is an artistic conversation about climate change, the fruits of a residency by five Israeli artists in Venice and also Feminine Waters which is a solo exhibition by Chani Cohen Zada narrates the stories of women from the Bible painted through an enchanting perspective. You will also find a video installation and varieties of original artist books the symbolize the numerous voices of American Jewish artists. The confrontation or conversation highlights the work of 18 Argentinian artists in an enormous conceptual piece that combines confrontation with the conversation. The highlight is the 50-year retrospective of Israel Dahan that pays tribute to the mythical Judaica teacher at Bezalel and you will be mesmerized by its beauty

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center shows the importance of location in this event as it features two interesting exhibitions. The Experiments with Truth made by Indian artists showcase the religious thought through visual arts on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. You will also find the exhibition of Hebrew Suffragist; the 100 Years deals with the struggle for the voting rights of women in Israel in a story that is now celebrating its centenary.

You can head to One exhibition which focuses on Heaven is All Around Us and it showcases Israeli and American street art connected into the urban fabric of Jerusalem at the First Station.

There are also numerous venues that you can also visit such as Van Leer Jerusalem Research Institute, Worldwide North Africa Jewish Heritage Center, the Clal Center, and so on. If you want to enjoy a great insight into the numerous exhibitions, you can join the public Jerusalem Biennale tour where you will be guided in English by an art expert every day on the intermediate days of Sukkot. You will also get to enjoy gallery talks, music and dance performances, panel discussions with artists and curators, and also the chance to join English-guided private and group tours at the event.

Where The Jerusalem Biennale 2019 will take place from October 10- November 28 in about 12 venues in Jerusalem’s city center with 200 participating artists from 15 countries.