Yael Bartana

Yael Bartana’s films, installations and photographs explore the imagery of identity and the politics of memory. Her starting point is the national consciousness propagated by her native country of Israel. Central to the work are meanings implied by terms like "Homeland", "Return" and "Belonging." Bartana investigates these terms through the ceremonies, public rituals and social diversions that are intended to reaffirm the collective identity of the nation state. In her Israeli projects, Bartana deals with the impact of war, military rituals and a sense of threat to everyday life. Yael Bartana was awarded the Rome Prize of Villa Massimo 2023. In 2024, Yael Bartana contributed to the German Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. In 2011, Yael Bartana represented Poland for the 54th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. In 2006, the artist worked in Poland to create projects on the history of Polish-Jewish relations and its influence on the contemporary Polish identity.