'United Colors of Netanyahu'
‘United Colors of Bibi’ photo axed from exhibit
Artists slam decision to axe David Tartakover’s ‘United Colors of Bibi’ from Movement for Quality Government annual conference; organization says apolitical organization must present multiple sides of political debate, or no side. Exhibit curator: ‘I feel like I've been raped’
A photograph of Benjamin Netanyahu and his family that was slated to be part of an exhibition entitled "Art and official corruption" has been removed.
28 works will be displayed as part of the exhibit as part of a conference hosted by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel at the Binyanei Hauma convention center in Jerusalem. The conference opens on May 15.
One of the work's chosen was David Tartakover's "United Colors of Bibi," first released in 1998, and which shows the Netanyahu family in New York's Central Park surrounded by security personnel, with a caption reading "United Colors of Netanyahu."
In recent days all the works chosen for the exhibit have been put on display on the Ein Hod Artists Village website, with an explanation that "those artists who in their works convey criticism of the corruption that has spread throughout the government and the society have always been considered to be subtle barometers of their culture. Theirs is not negative criticism, but a critique, whose purpose it is to restore to the society a consciousness of the necessity of guarding the rights of the people, their honor and their freedom."
Change of plans
But over the weekend, two days before the exhibit was due to open, organizers were forced to remove Tartakover's piece. "They called and said they really loved the piece, but told me I had to show some balance," he said. “They asked if I could help them out a bit. I told them politely to kiss my ass.
"I think it was a stupid move. It says a lot about both the organization and the quality of government. I think my piece symbolizes hedonism, the use of children for political gain and other diseases of power," he said.
Exhibit curator Leah Ben-Arye said she was frustrated by the decision, but decided to go ahead with the exhibit without Tartakover's piece.
"I feel like I've been raped, (like I've been) forced to do something I really hoped wouldn't happen. We could have refused to go ahead with the exhibition, but because we are essentially an outside contractor here, we decided to heed to their demands. I very much hope they will reinstate (Tartakover's) piece. It is a pity that such a fine work will not be displayed."
Other reactions
Dan Hamitzer, another featured artist, blasted the decision. "It's a disgrace," he said. "I would have thought that the very last group to be involved in censorship would be a group committed to quality government. The organizers would have been better off canceling the entire show."
Shuki Levanon, a spokesman for the Movement for Quality Government, said in response, "The decision was made by Roni Rahamim, the producer of the exhibit for Star Media. Since the Movement for Quality Government is a non-political body, and since this conference focuses on integrity and honesty, it would be wrong to present one-sided political commentary. If we had a work that presented an opposing view, we would have presented both pieces."
