Jerusalem Through a New Lens: How Contemporary Art Challenges Our Perception of the Familiar
There’s something profoundly intriguing about how art can reframe the familiar, turning the ordinary into something extraordinary. That’s exactly what Taking in the View at Ticho House achieves—and it’s not just another art exhibition. It’s a bold conversation between the past and the present, between Anna Ticho’s romanticized landscapes and the avant-garde visions of contemporary artists. Personally, I think this exhibition is a masterclass in how art can challenge our perceptions, not just of Jerusalem, but of how we see the world itself.
One thing that immediately stands out is the exhibition’s refusal to play it safe. Curator Gilad Reich and senior curator Timna Seligman didn’t just dust off Ticho’s beloved watercolors and call it a day. Instead, they invited five contemporary artists to dialogue with Ticho’s work, pushing her bucolic landscapes into the 21st century. What makes this particularly fascinating is how these artists deconstruct Ticho’s vision, revealing layers of meaning that even Ticho herself might not have anticipated.
Take Raphael Y. Herman’s Perspeciuum, for example. At first glance, it’s a seemingly dull, amorphous print. But here’s where it gets interesting: Herman captures his images in complete darkness, leaving his camera shutter open for eight hours to record light pollution. The result? A hauntingly abstract piece that forces viewers to recalibrate their eyes—and their minds. In my opinion, this piece isn’t just about the Gaza border or Red in the South; it’s a commentary on how we’ve polluted even the night sky, a detail that I find especially interesting.
What many people don’t realize is that Ticho herself was more than just a painter. The exhibition reveals her lesser-known role as a photographer, using snapshots as preparatory studies for her paintings. But here’s the twist: her photographs are starkly different from her romanticized paintings. They’re almost conceptual, devoid of the sentimental hues that define her canvases. If you take a step back and think about it, this duality raises a deeper question: How much of what we see in art is the artist’s reality, and how much is their interpretation?
Noa Ben-Nun Melamed’s work takes this idea even further. Her digitally altered landscapes blur the line between real and imagined, leaving viewers unsure of what they’re looking at. From my perspective, this isn’t just about technology; it’s about the very nature of perception. What this really suggests is that art isn’t just a mirror to the world—it’s a prism, refracting reality into infinite possibilities.
Ora Lev’s The Way It Was series is another standout. Using a camera-less photogram process, she creates hyperrealistic images of flowers that look like X-rays. What makes this particularly fascinating is how it inverts our expectations of color and form, forcing us to see the familiar in a completely new light. This raises a deeper question: What does it mean to truly ‘see’ something?
Dorian Gottlieb’s video work, If You Loved Me and If, adds a nostalgic layer to the exhibition. By capturing the Jerusalem landscape through a train window, Gottlieb evokes a sense of movement and memory. Personally, I think this piece is a love letter to a bygone era, but it’s also a reminder that landscapes are never static—they’re always in flux, much like Ticho’s watercolors.
Finally, Ella Littwitz’s diptych Edith offers a biblical twist, portraying Lot’s wife as identical twins. What this really suggests is that art can bridge the gap between ancient narratives and modern interpretations. It’s a well-balanced approach that I believe Ticho would have appreciated.
If you take a step back and think about it, Taking in the View isn’t just about Jerusalem or Anna Ticho. It’s about how art can challenge, inspire, and transform. It’s a reminder that even the most familiar views can reveal something new if we’re willing to look closely. In my opinion, that’s the true power of this exhibition—it doesn’t just show us art; it teaches us how to see.
Thoughtful Takeaway: Art isn’t just about capturing reality; it’s about reimagining it. Taking in the View proves that even the most familiar landscapes can become unfamiliar—and utterly captivating—when seen through the right lens.
