Dateline Israel

What can art tell us about Israel today? Is there an artistic consensus among those living inside and outside the country? How does an artist come to terms with the disturbing realities in Israel - violence, political instability, insecurity, and social discrimination? These questions are at the heart of "Dateline Israel: New Photography and Video Art", a compelling volume that presents photographs and videos of Israel from the diverse outlooks of nearly two dozen international artists. These images reveal the intensity of life there as well as the artists' profound personal responses to Israeli life and culture. What is revealed is a complicated view of Israel that has evolved out of the utopian model of an earlier era. In three insightful essays, the contributors to the volume explore the role of art and artists in contemporary Israel. Susan Tumarkin Goodman examines the aesthetic and political underpinnings of lens-based art made in Israel. Andy Grundberg discusses the roots of Israeli photography and video and places them in an international context. Nissan N. Perez offers an insider's view of the cultural issues that affect the practice of art in Israel today.