| Ofra Zimbalista at the Tower of David Museum |
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In March 2002, Beyond the Blue opened at the Tower of David Museum. |
| Thirty blue life-like sculptures were spread throughout the courtyard of the citadel, some climbing the Jerusalem stone walls, some sitting next to the ancient water cistern, some trapeze walking on the roof. Eight huge prints of computer-enhanced images were huge from the arches of the citadel. |
| The citadel, which for centuries has been a symbol of power and defence, lovingly brought together the works of Zimbalista. Through their inspiration, the color and the fa?ade of the citadel was changed. She filled the courtyard with a soft human touch that stood in stark contrast to the hard solid stones of the citadel's walls. The figures were full of movement, undertaking various activities such as climbing, walking, playing instruments, playing and even one that had stopped for a moment of contemplation. |
| The sculptures blent in well with the complexities of the citadel and were revealed to the visitor each time from a different vantage point. In this way, a visit to the exhibition became an active process of hide and seek between the sculptures and the visitor. |
| Ofra Zimbaslista, born in Israel in 1939, began sculpting at the end of the 1970's. She has exhibited independently and as part of group exhibitions both in Israel and abroad. |
| The exhibition, Beyond the Blue, closed at the end of June 2002 with a multidisciplinary event that included the dance group Vertigo. The dancers performed as the live sculptures of Ofra Zimbalista on a stage whose backdrop were the ancient walls of the citadel and the 30 blue sculptures of the artist. The finale was a performance by the percussion group "Tumbala". |
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The exhibition lent itself to activities for all the family including workshops where children leant how to produce aluminium figures and use their imagination to paint them. |
| Curator: Amitai Mendelsohn |
