Everything Forbidden

Archeology Tolkovskys view on his works is always lateral, never linear. In our conversations it is very rare for him to refer to one of his works as done. Like the different objects he collects and the images he appropriates, paintings become ready-made upon completion. The works are constantly in progress, they remain open to changes either within themselves or as part of a new work. A collection of paper works will become pages in a book, two canvasses will act as book binding, Jesus head is replaced by a metallic mechanical mouse. A piece that started its life in the 60s most likely went through a series of changes and makeovers in the following decades. The viewers then take upon themselves the role of the archeologist, trying to understand what preceded what in the work. Micky Mouse in the Tel Hai courtyardi One can look at Tolkovskys poetics at part of the local strand of Poetic-Realism. Another distinguished member of this school is the writer and playwright Nissim Aloni, in whose book The Owl lions that can bring a horse down with one blow roam the forests of the proletarian HaTikvah neighborhood in Tel-Aviv of the first world war. In one of Tolkovskys paintings the old city of Jerusalem is depicted as a fantastic fortress in the middle of nowhere, in front of the walls stands a menacing hybrid of half man and half Mickey Mouse, armed with an assault rifle and about to be run over by a motorbike. (At the Jerusalem central bus station, if you miss the turn to the public toilets you enter the synagogue, one might see this as a defining metaphor to this city as a whole). Other pieces juxtapose pictures from the early Jewish settlement of Israel with images of popular culture. Donald Duck and Uri Illanii meet in a Syrian jail cell.

Anti-Chronology Visiting Zvi Tolkovskys studio can be somewhat of a bizarre experience, the studio acts as a sort of bubble outside of time. Looking at his painting could give the viewer a sort of vertigo. On the one hand the works appear to be deeply rooted in the now, very contemporary, but something is off, the surface of the painting look damages, battered. The painting as object appears older than the images depicted in it. Tolkovsky uses the studio as a sort of lab, testing different materials and technics, some of those collide and contradict each other, causing the pieces to appear scarred and worn but also very meticulously made. The freshness of the images collides with the old looking surface creating a fascinating state of a painting being very new and very old at the same time. Degenerate art/ The artists position Many of the pieces ask questions about the positions of the artist in the world; he is depicted as Micky Mouse, a collaborator of power, a grotesque dentist. If you wanted to see good art in 1937 you had to go to Goebbels Degenerate Art exhibition that travelled Germany at the time, showing the crme de la crme of contemporary art of the time (Wikipedia defines this exhibition as Balaams Curseiii, to me this mixture of Goebbels, Balaam and Wikipedia is poetic realism at its best).
The pouring rain outside closed on the house from all directions, I took a red nibbled pencil from the case and wrote in square letters words that delighted me. Mersa Matruh. Raft. Rage. I ornamented them with shadows and they became awe inspiring buildings; I hatched underneath them and they trembled, drowning. (From The Owl by Nissim Aloni)

Elad Rosen, Thoughts while working on Zvi Tolkovskys Exhibition Everything Forbidden. Barbur
Gallery, Jerusalem. February 2012.

Tel Hai (Hebrew: meaning "Hill of Life" in Hebrew; Talha in Arabic) is the modern name of a , settlement in northern Israel, the site of an early battle in the ArabIsraeli conflict, and of a noted monument, tourist attraction, and a college. It is part of kibbutz Kfar Giladi. The battle of 1 March 1920, which gave Tel Hai its long-enduring fame, was significant far beyond the small number of fighters involved on either side - mainly due to its influence on Zionist culture, both inspiring an enduring heroic story and profoundly influencing Zionist military and political strategies over several decades.
ii

Uri Ilan (Hebrew: 17 February 1935 13 January 1955) was an Israeli soldier who committed , suicide in a Syrian prison, after being captured in a covert operation on the Golan Heights] He became a symbol of courage and patriotism in Israel. Ilan hanged himself in his prison cell, using a rope made from the fabric of the mattress cover. In his clothing, Ilan hid nine notes addressed to his homeland, Israel, and his family. The most famous is a scrap of paper on which he wrote the Hebrew words " " which means: "I did not betray".
iii

Balaam (Hebrew: ) is a diviner in the Torah, his story occurring towards the end of the Book of Numbers. Every ancient reference to Balaam considers him a non-Israelite, a prophet. Though other sources describe the apparently positive blessings he delivers upon the Israelites, he is reviled as a "wicked man" in the major story concerning him. Balaam attempted to curse God's people. He failed all three tries, each time producing blessings, not curses (Numbers 22-24).