MIDDLE EASTERN HISTORY and contemporary is tarnished by ongoing violence. There are national conflicts, international conflicts, ethnic conflicts and others. In many respects, the region is considered to be one of the most sensitive and fragile in the world, strategically, economically, politically, culturally and religiously. It lies at the heart of the international policy agenda. By now the Middle East is perceived as the place where all the worlds rays meet or more precisely, collide.
In September 2010 I was invited to participate in a seminar arranged by Platina Gallery, a platform for contemporary jewelry in Stockholm and I Care A Lot, a project that aims to raise the discussion about current issues in the Middle East through an international art exhibition in which jewelry is the chosen media.I Care A Lot was founded in 2009 by Dana Hakim and Yosef Bercovich and is an initiative to create dialogue between different cultures through visual communication. This is demonstrated by an international juried exhibition presenting a collection of portable artwork and jewelry, which mirrors the conflict in the Middle East and its major global consequences. Jewelry promotes a dialogue between the wearer, the viewer and the audience, in the private sphere as well as in the public domain. Wearing a well-chosen jewelry can be an invitation to a conversation and a medium for creating meetings.
A summary of the conversations is available at Klimt02 International ART JEWELLERY ONLINE
Picture: Platina Gallery, Stockholm 2011