Project Description
The exhibition is a part of an ongoing work that examines the visual manifestation of concepts like nationality and ritual at Israeli cultural institutions.
The project was carried out at Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, between 2006 and 2017 and included the Nation’s Leaders Plot, the national military cemetery, and the Yad Vashem National Holocaust Institute. The images and video examine how memorial institutions express national ideals through architectural aesthetics and emphasize the visitor’s emotional experience in these places.
“Visions of Heaven and Hell” explores the gap between pleasing aesthetics and trauma-based national identity. Through still images, video, and image manipulation, Altaratz creates a rich visual experience that intensifies the images’ aesthetic character and the viewer’s emotional response, while also blurring his critical thinking.
Videos (please click the image to play)
