58 | NOVEMBER 11 • 2021
ARTS&LIFE
ART
E
ven before the Fifth
Jerusalem Biennale
opened new artistry to
the in-person and digital public
Nov. 11-Dec. 30, a specialized
award was presented for a proj-
ect created by a Michigan artist
and distanced teammates.
The 2021 Isaac Anolic Jewish
Book Arts Award of $1,500
went to The House Is in the Book:
A Collaboration in Isolation,
jointly developed by artists
Lynne Avadenka of Huntington
Woods, Andi Arnovitz
of Jerusalem and Mirta
Kupferminc of Buenos Aires,
with consultation provided by
Emily Bilski, a Jerusalem-based
curator-author exploring the
interface of art, cultural history
and the Jewish experience.
The piece, in a limited-text
book format, fit right in with
the Biennale theme, “Four
Cubits,
” the ancient designa-
tion of personal space, which
is thought to measure not far
from 6 feet in today’s terms,
the measurement suggested for
social distancing.
Some 300 artists, working
in different media for display
in venues across the city, have
expressed various approaches
to the subject so recently on
the minds of people worldwide.
From jewelry to installations
— and discussions to go along
with different segments — this
year’s program considers rele-
vant questions, such as the cre-
ation and/or display of artistry
in private domains.
“The title of our piece comes
from a poem by Edmond
Jabès, an Egyptian Jewish poet
who wrote about books,
” said
Avadenka, who is also director
of Signal-Return, a nonprofit
Detroit letterpress print shop
and community arts center.
“We thought it was evocative
in the sense that we were work-
ing collaboratively but all in
different houses. Other connec-
tions to the title include having
the book’s pages being housed
together in a box.
”
In keeping with the Biennale
theme, four pages were allot-
ted to each of the three artists
engrossed with the new book,
an inspiration for a six-minute
video titled Threshold to be
shown at the Biennale. Because
the collaborative piece also will
be accompanied by individual
book projects developed earlier
by the artists, the joint initiative
becomes part of an exhibit in its
own right.
BRINGING THE
IDEA TO LIFE
The team project began at
the behest of Arnovitz, who
met Avadenka years ago at an
artists’ gathering in Italy. The
originating idea was to use the
book format separately while
sharing common themes and
interests to provide continuity.
The resulting book is printed
in a limited edition of 15, each
kept in a custom portfolio box.
Lynne Avadenka’s collaborative book project
themed around the idea of ‘four cubits’ wins award.
Six Feet Apart
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
In this image from
Lynne Avadenka’s
section of The House
Is in the Book: A
Collaboration in
Isolation, titled “Folio
1,” she refers to win-
ter as one of the four
seasons, Rachel as one
of the four matriarchs,
west as one of four
directions and the four
phases of the moon.
There is a four-sided
kite to present the
idea of the element of
freedom still available
to some extent while in
confinement.
Details
To get more information and experience the “Fifth
Jerusalem Biennale,” go to jerusalembiennale.org.
For more information on the individual artists of The
House Is in the Book: A Collaboration in Isolation,
go to lynneavadenka.com, andiarnovitz.com and
mirtakupferminc.net.