Stellusz place

Beverley Jane Stewart

Knishta – Treasures from the past

27th March to 18th April 2023

On March 27, 2023, British artist Beverley-Jane Stewart opens a new exhibition of her recent work at the Biennale Gallery in Jerusalem. Her collection of etchings explores past glories and the memories left behind of Sephardi life in North Africa and the Middle East

On March 28, 2023 at 7:00 pm The Jerusalem Biennale, and Sephardi Voices will present an evening on the Sephardi Jewish Journey with Tamar Morad, Israeli Director of Sephardi Voices and exclusive exhibition tour with artist Beverley-Jane Stewart and the Curator Ram Ozeri

Beverley Jane Stewart presents in this exhibition an extensive new series of etchings andmonotypes that seek to trace a series of buildings that were used as synagogues in Arab and Islamic countries and were then abandoned. In several of the works, the artist refers to the architectural sites where Jewish people lived before being forced to flee. This is a direct continuation of Stewart’s previous works, which explore the intricate structures of synagogues within a social context, showing how the artist focuses on magnificent interior spaces of leading synagogues in Britain and the history surrounding them. The Israeli audience was given the opportunity to see Stewart’s early works for the very first time in 2019 at her solo exhibition, ‘Halls of Prayer’ (curated by Ram Ozeri and Vera Pilpoul), Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center, Tel Aviv University. 

Alongside the pictorial documentation of the synagogues, which are viewed from a high vantage point taken from the women’s section (Ezrat Nashim), Stewart investigates the Jewish community around her in its social-historical context, as well as the awakening processes of Jewish communities in public spaces in Europe in the centuries before and after World War II. In recent years, the artist has expanded her research, introducing a new series of exciting works in which she goes beyond her own roots empathizing with the movement of communities from other countries in a multicultural context.

In 2021, Stewart presented a series of works dealing with Romanian Jewry, while tracing her own family roots she investigated the growth and decline of Romanian Jewish life. This series was initially shown at The Artist House in Tel Aviv and was then extended to The Romanian Institute of Culture in Israel and Britain. In 2023, Stewart presented a solo exhibition, ‘Beyond the Ashes’, in Turin, Italy. The exhibition featured a compelling series of new etchings and monotypes. In these works, the artist expresses within her creative lines a spirit that goes beyond the damaged buildingsfrom WW11, overpowering the physical destruction. The etchings are occasionally decorated with touches of gold leaf, echoing the splendor of a space which once embraced a communal life.

The current exhibition at the Jerusalem Biennale Gallery shows another expansion of the topic of abandoned synagogues in etchings. The artist focused this time on the Synagogues in Arab and Islamic countries. This includes synagogues in Libya, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. It takes on a special meaning in the space used by the historical synagogue of the original Shaarei Zedek hospital building in Jerusalem.

Stewart’s synagogues are places of gathering. Whether we are talking about active synagogues used by communities in London and the UK today or whether we are talking about abandoned prayer houses in Europe and Arab and Islamic countries, the spirit of holiness is felt inside them. The shape of a lonely figure can often be seen, connecting to the weathered stone walls
of the abandoned buildings reminiscing of an imaginary community based on memories.
Stewart’s works serve as a gateway, an entrance (Knishta in Arameic), to spaces that were once the beating heart of holy communities all over the world. She senses the importance of faith within people’s lives and the need to have empathy with the tumors of displacement. She appreciates differences and respects diversity. The current series is an important chapter in Stewart’s life project dealing with houses of worship. It carries an important message about the Jewish people’s past and future in our challenging times.

Curator: Ram Ozeri

The Biennale Gallery, 161 Yafo Street, Jerusalem 

Exhibition open 27th March to 18th April Sunday to Thursday 10am-4pm

Free entrance and open to the public

Photos by Blend Studios