Confronting Polish-Jewish Antagonism in a Post-Holocaust World: Yael Bartana's Film Trilogy "...And Europe Will Be Stunned"
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Date
2020-02-27
Authors
Zamosc, Leanna
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
At the 2011 Venice Biennale, the Israeli artist Yael Bartana represented Poland with “…And Europe Will Be Stunned”, a film trilogy that depicts the rise and evolution of the fictional movement JRMIP - Jewish Renaissance Movement in Poland. The movement calls for the return of the Jews and the restoration of the Jewish presence in Poland. Bartana’s work includes photographs, films, and installations about the conflictive nature of contemporary identities and the politics of memory. Her films on the imagined return of the Jews to Poland focus on controversial themes related to Jewish and Israeli national consciousness and how the rise of a narrow-minded Polish nationalism has been stiffening anti-Semitic attitudes. This study interprets Bartana’s Polish trilogy as an attempt, through visual historical and cultural references and cues, to challenge intolerance, induce people to reconsider, and foster new conversations about how Poland should relate to its Jewish and other minorities.
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Keywords
antisemitism, art film, contemporary art, judaism, polish history, yael bartana