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.

