Pleader’s prayer
Multi-media installation 2008 - 2009
The “Pleader’s Prayer” began with a song, was inspired by the allegorical medieval paintings of the ‘Last Judgement’ and developed further as a metaphor for contemporary social and political reality, with an emphasis on the subject of immigration. For Zehavi the subject of immigration is inextricably bound to topics such as violence, xenophobia, loss of identity, cultural alienation and existential anxiety. In the installation these subjects are also reflected in the private domain. The installation elaborates on the universal struggle between the ‘self’ and the ‘other’ and the relationship between ‘man and ‘woman’.
Politicians in the Netherlands involved in major disputes regarding immigration and integration are portrayed in the animations in the “Pleader’s Prayer”. These animations, along with the entire installation, reflect the frustration and powerlessness of humankind. Towering above them all, not ‘Jesus’, but an advocate, a pleader, a man singing a prayer defending humanity beyond Good and Evil.
Technical information about the installation:
Size: 300x160x120 cm (HxBxL)
Structure: Painted wood furniture’s
Sculptures technique: Papier-Mâché, plaster, wax, pigment, metal-wire
Animations: 7 digital Stop motion animations PAL \ color\ loop \ no sound
Equipment: 7 TV’s 37cm, 7 DVD’s, 1 CD player, 1 car speaker, Sound.