I. Pioneering Video Artists and Their Exploration of Television’s Impact on Society
Television was the “mother technology” of video art, and as such provoked both immense interest and a great deal of criticism in the young creators of the first video works. Some of these works focus on the messages transmitted by television, while others focus on the medium itself. In these videos, the artists offer both a critical and a personal reaction to the popular messages transmitted by television, to its undeniably commercial aspects and to its indiscriminate mixture of different types of content. Their works offer an alternative to a world order in which television occupies a hegemonic position and dictates its own version of society’s values and priorities. At the same time, they present video art as a valid alternative to other means of artistic expression, such as painting or writing.

II. A Changing World
The second part of this exhibition presents works by an international array of artists who examine social, cultural and political issues that are of extreme relevance to contemporary society. Many of the artists in this section explore the undergoing demographic changes in world populations and their dramatic cultural implications. A central concern in this context is the sociological shifts experienced by families and societies as a result of the interchange between different cultures. The works also consider the consequences of both legal and illegal immigration, the problems accompanying the linguistic and cultural barriers that immigrants are forced to overcome, and the unwillingness of women to follow traditional religious or social dictates in a changing world. The two sections of the exhibition are linked together by Johan Grimonprez’s film “Double Take” (2010), which examines the reciprocal influences between history and the media, with a special emphasis on television.

Ghila Limon

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