Striving for Spirit – Art Exhibition by Tari Kipnis

Everyday

Start date: 5.9.2024

Ending date: 3.11.2024

Current Gallery: Striving for Spirit

Eviatar (Tari) Kipnis z”l

Curator: Irit Abir

Opening and launch of Artist’s book: 24.9.24, 19:00

There are many ways one could describe Tari Kipnis: kibbutznik, a child of nature, a fighter, a sailor, a goldsmith and product designer, a Bezalel graduate, a family man, a father, and a loving spouse. As his friends described, Tari never had any hobbies, because every new thing he tried turned into a a new profession, in seriousness as well as humorously.

As a child of Kibbutz Maagan Michael, Tari was born to be on the sea. He fought in the Navy and traveled on adventures throughout the world. When he met his wife Lilach, they built a home in Kibbutz Bari where their two sons were born, and the landscapes of the sea met the landscapes of the Negev desert.

In recent years, due to illness, Tari became physically disabled. With optimism and creativity, he turned his energy to painting. Tari continued to observe the world. The subjects of his paintings were pictures of the life he had, scenes from the sea, nature, and fields. Some realistic, some more reminiscent of surreal dreams. All the paintings are characterized by life, with joyful colors and movement filling the canvas. Flying, running, swimming, traveling, and growing all take the forefront of his art. Tari may have been sitting, but he didn’t stop moving. The scenes are his set into endless open spaces.

On the 7^th of October, tragedy hit when Tari was murdered in his Bari home, along with his beloved wife Lilac and Paul, his devoted caregiver. Other members of his family were abducted to Gaza. Tari’s works were left to tell about his rich world. After his murder, his sister Gaya set out to collect and document his vast works and produced a comprehensive catalogue of it all. The catalogue has its launch in this exhibition, which marks the one-year anniversary of the disaster.

An individual exhibition is supposed to be a joyous and festive event in the life of an artist. The hanging of the exhibition, a culmination of years of work, and a series of discussions between the curator and the artist, which sharpens the choice of works and the accuracy of the story. If I try to summarize in one word my feelings in the process of working on this exhibition, I will choose a missed opportunity. A sense of missed opportunity for the cruel and unnecessary death, for a life and work that was cut short, for not getting to know Tari, the person and the artist, and for the fact that Tari does not get to see the appreciation and the love he receives.

Irit Abir, September 2024

The exhibition will be displayed in September and October 2024

Opening hours of the Gallery in Beit Daniel (Rachel Hall)

Sun-Thur 9:00-17:00

Fri 9:00-13:00, 17:30-19:00 (recommended to call and check)

Shabbat: By appointment only. Please do not arrive without an appointment, as there are Bar and Bat mitzvah ceremonies happening throughout the day

Free entrance