Detail of work by Zvi Goldstein

Zvi Goldstein, Detail of Reconstructed Memories (Lariam B), 2001–2005 Photo: Ron Amir

About the exhibition Zvi Goldstein – Winds from Jericho

The exhibition ”Winds from Jericho” introduces Zvi Goldstein’s unique oeuvre in Sweden, featuring works from the last three decades. Goldstein’s artistic practice shifted focus from the centre of Western culture to its periphery already in the late 1970s, long before postcolonialism and discussions about centre and periphery became pivotal topics in the international art world.

Goldstein was born in Romania in 1947. The family emigrated to Israel in 1958. Goldstein studied art in Jerusalem and Milan, where he graduated in 1972. In the following years he participated actively in the Milanese art scene. It was the conceptualist era. However, Goldstein could not see a way forward for contemporary art from that position. In 1978 he left Europe, returning to Jerusalem.

The same year he developed his Methodology, which could be interpreted as its own cosmos: a hermetic, non- linear diagrammatic map that includes six different perspectives. All the work that he created subsequently is sorted into one of the following categories: Serial Constructions; Black Hole Constructions; Perfect Worlds, Possible Worlds; Anomalies; Botanology; and E.T.N.O.

The periphery became his new centre and from Jerusalem he embarked on long journeys in Africa, Asia and the Middle East as part of his artistic practice, coming in contact with societies and cultures that were seemingly untouched or at least not dominated by a Western world view. Goldstein creates works that are rooted both in Western contexts and the premodern traditions he became acquainted with through his travels.

Goldstein’s works are the result of reconstructed memories that at first glance resemble minimalist sculptures but cannot be accessed using references from Western modernism only. The artist´s hand is invisible on the smooth, perfect surfaces, as if the artworks were mass-produced, while in fact every work is individually made. Goldstein uses a variety of materials, such as different metals, magnets, contemporary industrial elements, candles, dried animals, seed capsules, textiles, etcetera.

Through his personal ways of exploring a larger world, Goldstein places contemporary art in a broader context and invites us to a more inclusive global view of ourselves and the world around us. His work offers new aesthetics in the still dominant Western-centred contemporary art world and advocates inclusivity and cross-fertilisation.

The exhibition’s title refers to the warm winds that originate in the Sahara – winds that have guided Goldstein on his travels and have for centuries impacted people in northern Africa and the Mediterranean region. Situated in the Jordan Valley, east of Jerusalem, Jericho is one of the world’s oldest settlements. The town was visible from the artist’s studio window, representing to him, a world beyond the known.

Work by Zvi Goldstein
Zvi Goldstein, Reconstructed Memories, 1996 Photo: Eli Posner

E.T.N.O. – Reconstructed Memories (1996)

Goldstein always travelled alone and without luggage. Inspired by the oral traditions of earlier civilisations, he reconstructed his experiences directly from memory without the help of notebooks or photographs.

On the right-hand side of the work ”Reconstructed Memories” (1996) there is a chart documenting the artists travels including the landscapes he has traversed, the monasteries and holy places, as well as remote villages he has visited. On the left-hand side a stylised map with Jerusalem at its centre is visible, while the three leaf forms that emanate from it represent Europe, Asia and Africa, which from there lie in the periphery. The centre of the work is formed by an emblem that represents Konya in Anatolia, where Rumi, the famous Sufi poet from the thirteenth century, lies buried. The artist visited the site on a pilgrimage from Jerusalem. Rumi’s message of love and empathy touches many people to this day. Every year millions make the journey to Rumi’s mausoleum.

Detail of work by Zvi Goldstein
Zvi Goldstein, Detail of Reconstructed Memories (Lariam B), 2001–2005 Photo: Ron Amir
Detail of work by Zvi Goldstein
Zvi Goldstein, Detail of work by Zvi Goldstein, 2001–2005 Photo: Ron Amir

Perfect Worlds, Possible Worlds – Reconstructed Memories (Lariam B) (2001–2005)

Goldstein wants to establish a presence with his sculptural objects, while they at the same time give the impression that they come out of nowhere, with no history. ”Reconstructed Memories (Lariam B)” (2001–05) presents us with a model of a mountain, with what seems to be a dried salamander crawling up the rockface. A few peep-holes provide a view into the interior of the mountain, where an armadillo becomes visible. Why is the animal inside the mountain? On the right, a sickle moon shines in front of a cloud formation and in the clouds, there is a lens behind which a burnt- down candle and matches are visible. Just like in the previous work, the chart at the centre lists countries, people and buildings that the artist has visited during his travels. Perhaps the deliberately shattered glass surface that is supposed to protect the work indicates trauma and anxiety that the artist has experienced in his encounters with the unknown and that which remained unintelligible. The subtitle of the work alludes to a medicine that was necessary on his travels to prevent him from contracting malaria, but which often has severe side-effects such as confusion or the loss of a sense of reality. According to the artist, the work relates to a journey from Chad to Cameroun that was challenging in many ways.

Objects mounted on wall
Zvi Goldstein, Sirocco Day 4, 1996/97 Photo: Helene Toresdotter/Moderna Museet

E.T.N.O. – Winds from the Sahara: Sirocco – Day 4 (1996/1997)

How does one depict hot winds? The work is based on Goldstein’s travels following the warm winds that originate in the Sahara dessert. They have a variety of regional names such as Sirocco, Harmattan, Ghibli, etcetera. These winds know no national borders and have a strong impact on other continents including Europe and Asia. They take sand with them, the temperature rises and the humidity is drastically reduced when the winds sweep in. The work consists of a variety of structures that people in different cultures and countries use to protect themselves from the winds. The holes in the patterns allow air to circulate. The work’s over 1,000 parts were constructed in a workshop in Jaffa and put together by the artist himself in a laborious process.

”Sirocco – Day 4” (1996/97) is the only realised artwork so far of a multi-part project entitled ”Winds from the Sahara” that reflects Goldstein’s interest in the relationship between climate and culture. The winds became metaphors for free movement over national borders which, not least in the Middle East and Africa, were drawn by colonial powers and are in many cases the cause of ongoing wars and conflicts in the regions.

Detail of work by Zvi Goldstein
Zvi Goldstein, Detail of Contingency and Solidarity, 1992 Photo: Volker Döhne
Two similar objects on black background
Zvi Goldstein, Cultural Attraction 2, 1990 © Zvi Goldstein

Botanology – Contingency and Solidarity (1992)

”Contingency and Solidarity” (1992) doesn’t contain any fixed parts. Instead paper clips and cable ties have been used, plastic balls are held in place with magnets and the small magnets in the plate are secured with tape on the back.

The instability of the parts becomes a metaphor for life that demands adaptation and constant reorganisation. We are forced to reinvent ourselves time and again throughout life. Solidarity with our fellow humans is a necessary attitude in order to succeed. The work also includes small images of seed capsules, as a reminder of our human origins in nature.

Black Hole Construction – Cultural Attraction (1990)

”Cultural Attraction” (1992) is divided into three parts. The two constructions on the left-hand side relate to each other and form a force field of attraction. The large dark middle field is like a black hole, in which information has been lost, while the right-hand field with a circular architectural shape in the middle, which the artist calls a pagoda (a Buddhist construction housing holy texts), has inlaid magnets, creating a strong magnetic field. It is so strong that people with pacemakers have to keep a safe distance.

Work by Zvi Goldstein
Zvi Goldstein, Jüdische Chronologie, 1996. Photo: Dirk Pauwels

E.T.N.O. – Jüdische Chronologie (1996)

Measuring time and space is a recurring theme in Goldstein’s practice.

Different cultures and religions measure time in different ways. What does it feel like living according to someone else’s calendar? In ”Jüdische Chronologie” (1996), a chart synchronises the Jewish-Hebrew and the Christian- Gregorian calendars. The former is based on the lunar and solar orbits and the latter only on the Sun, making for two different perceptions of how time can be interpreted and how holy days, days of work and days of rest, are determined. In another project, Goldstein lived for the duration of a year according to the Muslim calendar Hijri, which follows the Moon. The shift of weekends and the holy days becoming Muslim rather than Jewish made him experience the passing of time differently.

Work by Zvi Goldstein
Zvi Goldstein, Measurements, 1992. Photo: Dirk Pauwels

Perfect Worlds, Possible Worlds – Measurements (1992)

The measuring tapes symbolise the rational, an agreed-on standard and an attempt to determine a truth. ”Measurements” (1992) was made in untreated and unprotected brass, which means that the measurements change with time as the material weathers, in contrast to the eternal truth that they strive for.

Measuring can be done in different ways and objective truths are an illusion.

Perfect Worlds, Possible Worlds – Future (1989/1995)

The work ”Future” consists of two almost identical panels. Where the conical shape opens itself upwards, the word “Eschatology” can be read, while there are two rings with the inscription “Future” in the lower part of the form. Eschatology is a religious concept about the future and the destination of the soul. “Future” symbolises a political spatiotemporal concept, a concept in our three- dimensional material world. “Eschatology” opens itself upwards and the word “Future” downwards. Regardless of which colour the word “Eschatology” has, red in the one picture and grey in the other, the repetition amplifies the need for a process of seeking in both concepts.

Perfect Worlds, Possible Worlds – From My Archive (1978–2021)

The work consists of 31 display cases that connect the artist’s realised and unrealised artworks. ”From My Archive” provides fascinating insights into the artist’s world of ideas and the processes that lead up to the creation of the works. Goldstein himself sees ”From My Archive” as “confessions of sorts”. This is the first time this new version of the work is shown.

More about this exhibition