Sonntag am Sabbez is a collaboration between Cornelia Renz and Michelle Medenblik. Renz is a German artist-painter, temporarily living in Israel.
The project aims to exhibit artwork in private apartments in Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem and Berlin during weekends. Its purpose is to serve as an accessible platform for artwork with regards to current and past German-Israeli subject matters. In this manner, we intend to encourage dialogue between Israel and Germany, Israelis and Germans.
We invite Israeli artist who deal with German subject matters, German artists who deal with Israeli matters, and artists who deal with the interaction between the two, to participate. Young artists as well as established ones are welcome.
Sonntag am Sabbez is inspired by several projects which have been taking place in recent years in Berlin. These events are based on hosting art exhibitions in private apartments. Not only that participating in this type of events is now considered as important as an official gallery exhibition, but also this type of events marks a shift in approach towards the essence of art exhibitions. In these projects, collaborations are initiated and realized, artists gain back the autonomy of running a project, gatherings are formed and political or social subject matters are discussed. As a result, the value of the artist's work is manifested, with business matters put aside.
The berlin project was inspired by a 1966 performance action carried by the artist Konrad Lueg (Fischer). The artist invited friends and relations to have coffee and cake with him at a Düsseldorf art gallery, thus restoring a primary relation between art and a dwelling space. This way of exhibiting art was acceptable since the Renaissance and its pre-ordered works of art, going through the Art Salons of the late 19th century, until that moment when the artist reawakened this connection, allowing the integration between art and everyday life once again.
Sonntag am Shabbes destines to create a local version of this type of events, accompanied by the Israeli-German relation by importing the idea of repositioning art in the private sphere. This way of art display connects art and its designated place, while allowing an unmediated correspondence between artwork and its viewer, as well as between host and guests, is expected to enable a dialogue bringing Israeli and German cultures closer together.