The MusraraMix Festival is an international multidisciplinary event that takes place in the borderline neighborhood of Musrara, initiated and produced by the NaggarMultidisciplinary School of Art and Society, Musrara. The festival is a hub of artistic and social happenings, embodying the political and cultural essence of Jerusalem and Israel. Every year the festival is based around one theme. The 17th year of the festival is the year of Terra Incognita – East and West – Hybrid World.

David Adika will show 5 prints from the ‘Africana’ series.

About the series:

The series of prints titled “Africana” is based on photographs of Israeli ceramics from the 1960s and 1970s, collectibles that artist David Adika bought at local flea markets. The product of local manufacturers active at the time, such as Palkeramic, Beit Hayotzer, Lapid and others, the ceramics have become synonymous with a local aesthetic and a specifically Israeli style. After having photographed the ceramics, Adika created a series of prints by stripping the forms down to basic their elements. The reworked abstract versions betray an influence of African motifs on their design, whether in the stark tonality or “primitive” shapes drawn from African artifacts. African motifs appear in modern art and design since Picasso’s early cubist works, yet in the context of a local, and ostensibly authentic style, they shed light on Israel’s trade and diplomatic relations with countries in Africa over the years, relations tainted with a colonialist worldview in times of post-colonialism. Adika, who explores cultural and aesthetic notions as embodies by objects in Israeli society, named the series after a category of collectibles known as ‘Israeliana’ – a category which, like the Americana it is derived from, pertains to a wide range of artifacts reflective of local culture, folklore and history.

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