M/otherland Zurich Exhibition

Role: Art Director
Client: Ruth Patir
Year: 2021

In 2021 I collaborated with Ruth Patir on an exhibition in Zürich that reimagined ancient Judean fertility figurines as real-life mothers. The presentation, developed after its first showing in the Israel Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, combined multi-screen films, 3D-printed sculptures, and immersive environments, and was accompanied by an artist-book.

As art director, I was responsible for the visual development and the integration of motion-capture that allowed archaeological relics to appear animated and embodied. I also planned the layout of the exhibition, ensuring that the films, sculptures, and spatial elements formed a coherent whole, and worked closely on the artist-book, translating the project’s visual language into print.

The exhibition reframed archaeological symbols of fertility through contemporary motherhood, blending documentary, performance, and installation.

Photograph of a medical imaging device displaying a cross-section of a human colon with detailed internal structures, set outdoors with trees and grass in the background.
A refrigerated display case containing various scientific and medical models and equipment, including test tubes, mannequins, and miniature figures arranged on wire shelves.
Close-up of a bronze sculpture of a woman holding a smartphone in one hand, with a laser pointer or similar device in her other hand, in an office setting with a computer and desk in the background.
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Decorative sculpture of a humanoid figure with no facial features, holding two small bottles with blue caps, surrounded by larger stone-like animal sculptures resembling camels with water bottles on their backs, set in a dimly lit rustic environment.
A stone sculpture of a woman, with multiple syringes stuck in her body, illuminated with blue and red lighting.
  • Sculptures of abstract humanoid figures with elongated heads and limbs, standing on a platform with a purple and white pattern, illuminated with soft lighting.
  • Close-up of a stack of playing cards on a circular patterned fabric surface. The top card is red with the text 'Voters!' visible, and the design appears to include a detailed illustration.
  • Dark room with a large screen displaying a video of clay figurines and a bicycle. Several colorful tie-dye sleeping mats and pillows are on the floor, with brochures on one of the pillows. Small wooden animal sculptures are on a raised surface to the left, and a shelf with small sculptures is on the right wall, illuminated by a soft light.
  • A sculpture of a woman with syringes embedded in her body, standing on a yellow platform in a dark room.

Credits:

Work by Ruth Patir
Space design: Ruth Patir & Jonathan Wasserman
Exhibition Curated by Maayan Shelef