MIFGASH III: Lust for Holiness with Benyamin Reich
Through the book of Ruth, photographer Benyamin Reich introduces a unique perspective on the intertwinement of sexuality and spirituality and on being an outcast.
Jewish mystical teaching has it, that great human achievements have to be born first in a lowly place, in the abode of darkness. From here they can rise to renewed heights and transform on their way everything they take with them from the bottom to the top. Such is also one of the understandings of the biblical book of Ruth which is traditionally read on the festival of Shavuot. The protagonist Ruth, born into the tribe of the cursed Moabites, elevates herself and gives birth to the lineage of David, the progenitor of the
Messiah. Ruth’s fate – and the thereby entailed transformation, even sanctification, of prohibited sexual liaisons – is paralleled by other biblical figures, among them Tamar, Bat Sheva and Esther, and later Jewish heroes and thinkers such as Shabbtai Tzvi. Benyamin Reich will speak to the biblical, talmudic and mystical dimensions of these archetypical encounters and how they relate to the development of photography in the 19th and 20th centuries. In his eyes, the birth of light through darkness is embodied by the photographer’s camera. With it, Reich does not only give a unique perspective on the interconnectedness of sexuality and spirituality but also on what it means to be an inwardly wandering human, expelled from his childhood and home.
About the MIFGASHIM Series
With the MIFGASHIM series, the ID Festival 2022 offers a variety of enriching encounters: encounters between different languages and cultures, between different religions and, first and foremost, encounters between people. Visitors can look forward to meeting leading figures of the young Israeli community in Germany.
Benyamin Reich
biographies
The multi-disciplinary artist Benyamin Reich was born into a Hassidic family in Bnei Brak, Israel. Drawn to the world of photography, Reich left religious learning at the age of 20, and went to Paris to study art and photography at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. Since 2010 Benyamin Reich has resided in Berlin. His art has been presented in solo and group exhibitions around the world, and was featured in many journals and magazines. In his works, Reich deals with the overlaps and tensions between traditional societies and the Western world and attempts to find beauty and meaning in their interplay. He also explores the inner world of human beings and the connection between their culture and their geographical and political location.
Sun 5 June 17:00
Category
Exhibition & Discussion
Venue
Radialsystem Studio C
Tickets
MIFGASH III Free of charge, but please register in advance!
COMBO TICKET MIFGASHIM 18 | 12 €
Length
1,5 hours
Language
English & German