Walking Tight Lines

      The Ramparts walk, a high catwalk meant for infantry, lookouts and archers in ancient times, felt like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, only with more belly sweat and dorky sock tan lines.  The steps were worn smooth by thousands of soldiers over the centuries under all sorts of governing bodies in Jerusalem, King David and Saladin being the most notable.  It served as the upper most defense position for the old city and is equipped with arrow embrasures and the narrowest of staircases.  It was a mild day and a fantastic treat with gorgeous and informative vantage points of the city.

     After our morning adventure and stumbling into a modest and more progressive, less orthodox neighborhood to have lunch in, Amber and I traveled to the L.A. Mayer Islamic Museum of Art.  After slowly perusing and feigning interest in mediocre pottery and loads of armor we found the basement.  To our surprise the showcase was a contemporary exhibition providing a smartly curated exhibition of current poster designs from Iran.  Mostly very young artists and equally co-ed in makeup, the show featured a brilliantly subversive and high brow grouping.  I found the work very progressive in aesthetic, up with current trends but still maintaining a clear cultural and spiritual identity as Iranian creators.  The internet can be such a wonderful thing, clearly connecting these young artists to the world beyond.

      In Islamic tradition, a proscription is to avoid representational imagery known as aniconism.  So the majority of Islamic art is often of plant life or geometric designs and arabesques, leading to a very decorative yet meditative appearance.  Often the most impactful imagery is of script, verses in the Koran in a highly adorned or fluid style.  Many of the artists featured in the show creatively balanced a use of the figure, through drawing and digitally manipulated photography with the traditional arabic script.  I kept seeing this coy interplay between image and abstraction especially in a noteworthy stop motion animation that transfigured Arabic calligraphy executed in ink into elephants, camels or whirling dervishes.

     The visual puns were rich with cultural identity as well as subtextual commentary that pushed against highly oppressive governing structures.  The images unabashedly dealt with Iran's violent history, repressive dictatorships, monarchies and its current geopolitical standing.  I thought it ironic that one of the most fascinating exhibitions I've seen in Israel, was in a Jewish Museum on Islamic Art.  You never know what you will stumble upon in a basement as long as you've got the courage to venture  into a dark downstairs.
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