March Art Guide - Jerusalem

Visiting Jerusalem in March? You will find no lack of thought-provoking and diverse exhibitions to choose from among the local galleries and museums as we get ready for Spring in the holy city. Continue reading to discover three shows not be missed in Jerusalem and click here to learn more about our experiences in the Jerusalem art scene!

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Exhibition: Manifesto

Artist: Julian Rosefelt

Venue:The Israel Museum, Ruppin Blvd.13.

Dates: Until November 2nd, 2019

About the exhibition: What is a Manifesto? It can defined as a declaration of a belief, usually combined with a call for action. In Julian Rosenfeld’s multi-screen installation, the artist revisits some of the most important artistic manifestos of the 20th century using a contemporary lense and a superstar performer, Cate Blanchett. Blanchett recites monologues which are based on the foundational texts of various art movements like Dada, Surrealism, etc., embodying different characters in a diversity of settings.

Manifesto Israel Museum
Image by Elie Posner

Exhibition: B-Side A Heroine

Artist: Various, curated by Cornelia Renz.

Venue: New Gallery Teddy Stadium, Gate 22

Dates: Until March 18

The charged group exhibition B-Side A Heroine features the works of twelve Israeli and German female artists who reshape the feminist narrative in their art works. The female figures depicted in these works are powerful, complex and aggressive women, embodying the ‘B-Side’ to the idealistic heroine that we are used to seeing in our ideas of the ‘real women’. Spanning video, performance, painting and site-specific installations,the exhibition offers a moving alternative point of view.

Bside A Heroine, Nezaket Ekici, “Short But Painful”, video performance 2017-2018.
Image by Shai Halevi

Exhibition: Legitimacy of Landscape

Artist: Yaakov Israel

Venue: Museum for Islamic Art, HaPalmach St. 2

Dates: Until April 27

Culminating 16 years of the artist’s work, Yaakov Israel presents The Legitimacy of Landscape, a photography exhibition that presents socio-political landscapes of Israel and its territories. Yaakov Israel’s large scale photographs are striking, focused and hyper-realistic, opening windows towards a view that is often forgotten in Israel and providing visitors with an experience that can be likened to standing in the place of the photographer himself. Israel used a technique similar to that used by landscape photography in the 19th century, simultaneously paying homage to the history of photography. Not only politically important, The Legitimacy of Landscape is breathtaking and literally opens one eyes to new points of view and the vitality of the camera.

Learn more about Oh So Arty in Jerusalem here or book a tour here!

72 Hours in Tel Aviv

Oh So Arty was founded in Tel Aviv and so it will always have a special place in our hearts. This coastal metropolis boasts the best of both worlds offering a bustling city life balanced with the calm beauty of the Mediterranean seaside. Founded in just 1909, Tel Aviv is still a young city that has carved out a space for itself as the country’s bohemian center offering the best in technology and culture. This Spring Tel Aviv has become a destination for people from all over the world as it hosts the Eurovision song contest in May and celebrates 100 years of the Bauhaus school. There is no better way to experience the diverse art scene in Tel Aviv than on one of our gallery or street art tours which explore the evolving identity of the city. Keep reading for the best ways to spend 72 hours in Tel Aviv or book an art tour here.

An Oh So Arty tour at Miriam Cabess’a Tel Aviv studio.

Photo by Pavlina Schultz.

When it comes to finding suitable lodgings in Tel Aviv there are a bevy of expertly designed boutique hotels that offer luxurious amenities and comforts. The Hotel Montefiore and Hotel Nordoy make our list for unique boutique hotels options. The renowned brunch at the Hotel Montefiore is a must for all travellers to the city whether staying there or not. Innovative takes on culinary staples such as toasted challah bread are not to be missed. While The Hotel Nordoy centrally located near the Nachlat Binyamin weekly craft market offers a first rate spa experience. Treat yourself to a luxurious massage on the hotel’s panoramic rooftop! If you prefer to stay in Jaffa we cannot recommend The Setai enough. This luxurious new complex offers rooftop pool and unbeatable views of the sea.

Hotel Montefiore. Photo by Sivan Askayo.

Having settled on your ideal home base it’s time to explore the city by foot or by cycle! One of the best ways to spend an afternoon in Tel Aviv is by leisurely strolling its verdant boulevards, stopping by the cute kiosks for a coffee and taking in the fabulous Bauhaus architecture. Often referred to as The White City Tel Aviv has the largest number of Bauhaus buildings in the world making a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For architecture aficionados we recommend a visit to the Bauhaus Center Tel Aviv to explore their permanent collection dedicated to the subject.

The Hotel Nordoy. Photo by Assaf Pinchuk.

Take advantage of the local designers available in the city. One of our favorite boutiques is Aviva Zilberman located in a chic storefront in central Tel Aviv. Also be sure to check out Hibino for interior options, Maria Berman for timeless fashion looks, and Greek Sandals Official for the best shoes around.

There are many fantastic culinary offerings in Tel Aviv. For Thursday nights we recommend dinner at famed Israeli chef Eyal Shani’s restaurant North Abraxas. Known for his unique twists on vegetables, Shani’s restaurants are favorites among locals. Make sure to order the cauliflower to experience one of Shani’s most revered dishes! Close out the night with drinks at Nilus. This stylish bar is located in an old hotel and radiates a timeless energy.

Aviva Zilberman boutique located at 23 Meltchet street.

Friday mornings are best spent grabbing hummus and soaking up the Middle Eastern vibes offered at the Carmel Market. Start your morning with some classic Israeli cuisine and great coffee at Yom Tov Cafe and get ready to explore the city’s art scene. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art is the best place to discover Israeli art history. The new building designed by Preston Scott Cohen is a real gem and offers a strong overview of art from Israel. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the city’s contemporary art scene you have to head to the southern areas of Tel Aviv where most of the galleries have relocated in past years. The South of Tel Aviv has many industrial spaces and where most galleries are located today, due to relatively cheap rents, proximity to the artists’ studios and suitable spaces. We love to frequent Dvir Gallery, Alon Segev Gallery and Rosenfeld Contemporary Art for their unique roster of artists and intriguing exhibition programming. You’ll probably find yourself totally enamored of the Israeli art scene and it’s never been easier to collect artwork by contemporary artists from Israel! Art Source is an online platform (founded by two local art professionals- Michal Freedman and Oh So Arty founder Sarah Peguine) for discovering the best Israeli artists and collecting their work. Visit the Art Source website, read the online magazine and follow their Instagram page to learn more!

Rosenfeld Contemporary Art. Photo by Sophie Weinstein.

Teder is an awesome bar and online radio station that also serves up generously sized pizzas. If you’re looking for more food just head upstairs to Romano, another Eyal Shani restaurant. On Friday nights they push the tables back and local DJ’s spin until the early hours of Saturday morning.

Romano. Photo by Ariel Efron.

In Tel Aviv Saturdays are all about the beach. Tel Avivians love living along the sea and on weekends they flock to the long coastline to recharge before the week ahead! Start your Saturday morning slowly with a stroll through Neve Tzedek, a quaint neighborhood with French influence boasting charming cafes and boutiques. Then make your way to Old Jaffa for one our favorite beaches and a fresh juice at one of the many juice stalls located in the Shuk Hapishpeshim. The Jaffa art scene also has a lot to offer in terms of contemporary art with the newly opened Magasin III and creative hub Beit Kandinoff. Complete your trip to Tel Aviv by booking a private art tour with Oh So Arty for an insider perspective on the White City.

Sarah Peguine leading an art tour at Dvir Gallery.

To book a private art tour in Tel Aviv please click here.

February Art Guide - Miami

Aside from celebrating George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays, Presidents Weekend is also the first long weekend of the year and is a very busy weekend in Miami! While the rest of the country is suffering from icy temperatures, here in South Florida we enjoy more tropical weather which make it ideal for a mid winter get away.

The Miami International Boat Show has selected President’s Weekend for their annual display of all types of water crafts and is when Biscayne Bay sees the most traffic. If you are here for the Boat show or just to thaw over the long weekend, there are a few other things you shouldn’t miss.

Monday is the last day to view “Christo and Jean-Claude: Surrounded Islands, 1980- 1983 A Documentary Exhibition” at the PAMM. The exhibition opened last fall and has brought thousands of museum-goers to see up close what the 3 year project entailed for this artist duo. Everything from their drawings, to the legal documents, to a rich photographic account and even samples of the actual fabric used to surround 11 islands in Miami’s Biscayne Bay for a site specific installation that lasted only 10 days. 6.5 million square feet of fabric and thousands of volunteers made this possible and PAMM commemorates its 35th anniversary. If you haven’t seen it… you have until Monday February 18th!

Christo and Jean-Claude: Surrounded Islands, 1980- 1983

In its 8th edition, Art Wynwood opens doors on Valentine’s Day for a VIP only vernissage and is open to the general public from February 15-18th. Taking place at Art Miami’s new location at One Herald Plaza, Art Wynwood rounds up a roster of over 65 galleries from around the world in a very visitor friendly and fresh art fair environment. Small than its “big sister” fair, Art Miami, but no less prominent in terms of gallery and collector attendance.

Judy Chicago

Its also the perfect weekend to check some of Miami’s other highlights, like the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), who opened doors just over a year ago and have brought some truly astounding exhibitions. Currently on view and not to missed is Judy Chicago and Larry Bell’s major survey exhibitions. Bell’s minimalism is an exquisite expression of the exchange between shape, light and its surroundings. If you are able to play hooky for a few more days, the great feminist artist, Chicago, will be doing a performance based on the “Purple Smoke” on Thursday February 21st 7pm and access is free but seating is limited, so RSVP and come early as it is sure to be a full house!

Larry Bell

Find shelter from the sun this weekend at any of these great events or book your private and personalized tour to not miss a beat.

Learn more about Oh So Arty in Miami here.

February Art Guide - Bilbao

Recommendations of what to see in the Bilbao art scene this month by local insider María José Orihuela.

2019 started with good news for art lovers in Northern Spain: Chillida Leku Museum, former house of the great Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida, reopens its doors to the public next April after 8 years of closure. It does so with a renovated team, some improvements on site and more importantly, a plan to host visiting exhibitions and hold events in collaboration with other art institutions. Counting the days until it happens!

I.

Exhibition: Alberto Giacometti. A Retrospective

Artist: Alberto Giacometti

Venue: Guggenheim Bilbao

Dates: until March 24th

Last June, Fondation Giacometti in Paris opened the doors of Atelier Giacometti, a faithful reconstruction of the artist’s studio in the same city. At the same time, Guggenheim New York held a major retrospective of the artist, showing nearly 200 sculptures, paintings, and drawings. This exhibition has now arrived to Bilbao and it is currently our best show.

© Alberto Giacometti

II.

Exhibition: En el Tiempo

Artist: Carlos Cánovas

Venue: Sala Rekalde

Dates: From February 15th until May 19th

Carlos Cánovas’s photography focus on spaces where nature and human intervention converge. His work is strongly tied to Bilbao and its industrial landscape, where many of the photographs of the series were taken. Its title is ambiguous relating to the temporal condition, it could be translated by “In Time”, but perhaps more accurately “Inside Time”. Exhibition produced by Museo Universidad de Navarra in collaboration with Museo ICO.

La Piel que Habitamos II (The Skin we Dwell On). 2018. Photography© David Latorre

III.

Exhibition title: Architecture, Body and Attire.

Artist: David Latorre

Venue: Juan Manuel Lumbreras Galería de Arte

Dates: until February 15th 2019

Spaces that are about to become a ruin are captured in their final catharsis by David Latorre’s photography. During a visit, one is likely to be exposed to mixed thoughts and feelings of nostalgia, romanticism and loss, surely a trip worth a try.

Learn more about Oh So Arty in Bilbao here!

Header Image: Sculpture park at Chillida Leku © Museo Chillida Leku

January Art Guide - Jerusalem

Starting the new year with some really interesting, eclectic and educational new exhibitions in Jerusalem! Don’t miss these three shows which span a wide variety of mediums, artists and ideas. Experience the Jerusalem art scene on an Oh So Arty tour.

I.

Exhibition: Placeless: Following Jacqueline Kahanoff

Artist: Group Show

Venue: Musrara New Gallery, HaAyin Het St. 9

Dates: Until February 24th

Part of Musrara’s Photopoetics event which spans three exhibitions connecting visual arts with prolific Israeli literary works, Placeless: Following Jacqueline Kahanoff, follows the writing and thought of Jacqueline Kahanoff, focusing on the search for identity in the Mediterranean expanse, while looking at notions of Eastern and Western, antagonism versus fluidity and hybridity, belonging and not belonging. A writer and essayist, Kahanoff sought to define multiculturalism as a world view and a way of living, long before the postmodern discourse. Alongside Kahanoff’s texts, the artists who were invited to participate in the exhibition explore, each in his or her own way, the possibility of presenting a personal voice and the ability to capture memory and cultural identity.

Image: Dafna Shalom, “Press Plants (Book of Exodus), photograph, 2018.

II.

Exhibition: Victory Over The Sun: Russian Avant Garde and Beyond

Artist: Group Show

Venue: Israel Museum, Ruppin Blvd. 12

Dates: Until July 2019.

The first comprehensive exhibition on the subject in Israel, Victory Over The Sun will explore avant-garde trends in Russian art during the 20th century. Beginning with Kazimir Malevich’s radical revolution in art prior to the year 1920, the exhibition emphasizes his Suprematist period and its significant influence on generations of prominent artists up to the present day. This is followed by an exploration of Nonconformist Art that emerged after Stalin's death, and the exhibition’s epilogue addresses the legacy of each of these movements in the works of contemporary artists, highlighting the continuity of the avant-garde tradition.

Image: Pavel Pepperstein, El Lizzitzky’s Autostrada in the Alps in 2401, watercolor on paper, 2017.

III.

Exhibition: Carry That Weight

Artist: Group Show

Venue: Jerusalem Artists’ House

Dates: Until March 9th.

The exhibition Carry that Weight explores the image of a youth carrying an animal on his shoulders, regarding the image as something which passes from hand to hand, like a commodity or a currency that crosses worlds, cultures, and periods, and changes meanings and contents. The works of the 21 participating Israeli artists extend from the 1950s to the present and introduce a lively dialogue with the image, bifurcating into diverse narratives. The works range from the shepherd figure to father-son relations, through allusions to the Sacrifice of Isaac portraying death and bereavement, as well as different representations of masculinity -- other works allude to feminine aspects, as well as to different types of burdens and the implications of the carried load on the body.

Image: Galia Pasternak, Plenty, Love, Rachel, oil on canvas, pastels and ink on paper, 2013

Learn more about Oh So Arty in Jerusalem here or book a tour here!