Exhibition ‘Ticho House’ Comes To Israel Museum

The combination of elements in Ergas' drawings creates images of cities that are futuristic and somewhat utopian. The grid-like plan and neo-classical style of the public buildings recall the perception of the future at the beginning of the 20th century, exemplified in the fascist architecture of Germany and Italy.

However, by changing the way we look at the images, a longer examination reveals that Ergas has not actually drawn pictures of imagined cities but rather computer motherboards. Once the illusion is broken, the so-called cities lose their mystery. Their hyper-organization, perceived isolation, repetitive elements and protrusions that did not seem to fit when the mind was telling the eye to see an urban center make perfect sense when it realizes it is actually confronted with the internal workings of a computer. The computer motherboards add another layer of meaning, showing how the grand cities of the future as seen 100 years ago are today reduced to the inner workings of a tool that defines the reality of that "future."

Yemima Ergas

Yemima Ergas, born in Jerusalem, studied ceramics at the Bezalel Academy of Art and art at New York's Pratt Institute. Since 1979, she has been painting in her private studio in Jerusalem and teaching art and painting in various institutions. Ergas' works have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions, and in a wide variety of projects and artistic collaborations. Since 1999, Ergas has been serving as a board member of the Painters and Sculptors Association in Jerusalem, and as the chairperson of the Jerusalem Artists’ House's exhibition committee. She has been active at the Agrippas 12 Cooperative Gallery since 2004. Ergas' works have been published in various books and other publications in Israel, and can be found in public and private collections worldwide.

The Ticho House

The Ticho House was bequeathed by Jerusalem's beloved painter Anna Ticho (1894 -1980) to the people of the city to serve as a public center for art. It houses a permanent collection of paintings by Anna Ticho, her husband Dr. Abraham Ticho's collection of Hanukah lamps, a reference library, temporary exhibitions, the Little Jerusalem restaurant and an extensive garden used for cultural and special events. The Ticho House is managed by the Israel Museum.

The exhibition curator is Timna Seligman. -- www.imj.org.il