Many Moons

In the ancient world - besides fire, fireflies, and cats’ eyes - the stars, moon and the elements of the sky alone would light up the night. People lived by the rhythm of the moon, which paced every day, month, and year - the Hebrew calendar is also a consequence of this movement. Yare'ach ("moon" in Hebrew) is a synonym for the word month, and from it evolved the phrases: nine moons of birth, honeymoon, as well as the name of the exhibition, "Many Moons". In North America, the ancient tribes used to say to one another when they reunited, "I haven't seen you in many moons". The cyclicality of the moon’s filling and emptying is implicitly tied to menses, or monthly menstruation. Perhaps this connection contributed to the creation of the feminine moon goddesses in various mythologies - among them the Greek goddess Celine, the Roman goddess Luna and the Chinese goddess She-noy. 

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In the central space of the gallery are presented 54 works by the illustrator Ya'ara Eshet. Eshet was born in Kibbutz Degania Bet (ב) and is a graduate of the department of Graphic Design in Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Nowadays she lives in Toronto, Canada. In the foyer is presented a collection of photographs by the artist Bezalel Ben-Chaim, who is a graduate of the department of Industrial Design in Jerusalem, and in the program for continuing studies in the Arts, in Hamidrasha in Beit Berl. He was born in Be'er Sheva and lives and works in Tel Aviv.