him too..?? Oz Almog's Concise Index Judeorum

Description

The sound of genuine surprise in Almog’s title Him too..?? is one that is often echoed in social conversations and one which references the use of the Jewish face as a subject for racist, anthropological and general prejudice. Yet Almog’s colourful index of Jews shows the opposite of the racist image; it celebrates and emphasises the diversity. This project shows that the Jew has no one face- but actually has many, and seeks to encourage interest in Jewish culture and history. Seen as a whole the **440** portraits (out of 1000 altogether) form an artistic installation, a homage to his heritage by an artist intent on establishing his own cultural network. This mosaic of personalities forms a bizarre world Isaiah Berlin concept that traces the trails and errors of human ambition as well as celebrating success and achievement. The personalities portrayed were selected by Oz Almog from a cross section of social strata: European 20th Century artists, musicians and writers; representatives of science and research as well as Nobel Prize winners; biblical, mythical and heroic figures and personalities; politicians and soldiers; entertainers; saints, freaks, gangsters and mass murderers. Presented according to categories but in alphabetical order, the viewer encounters flamboyant heroes and anti-heroes whose one common denominator is their Jewish background. Nuclear scientist Albert Einstein rubs shoulders with Gene Simmons of The Kiss and fashion designer Ralph Lauren, sex symbol Hedy Lamarr with the writer Franz Kafka, actress Winona Ryder with Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, film director Stanley Kubrick with gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, mafia boss Meyer Lansky with rock musician Lenny Kravitz. There are also numerous local celebrities such as the rock musician Marc Bolan, film director and producer Sir Alexander Korda, politician Benjamin Disraeli and many more.

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