Four Cubits - Jerusalem Biennale Fifth Edition

The Fifth Edition of The Jerusalem Biennale took place at the end of 2021 (November 11 - December 30) under the title of Four Cubits (ארבע אמות). In Jewish tradition, the term Four Cubits (ארבע אמות) is used to point out a person’s private space. A cubit, or Ama in Hebrew, is an ancient measurement of length of about 0.5 meters. Therefore, four cubits are about 2 meters- the 2 meter circle surrounding a person is their personal space.

Under this title, JB2021’s program consisted of three major components: Venues, PHASEs, and #TakeMeHome. All three had both in-person and online presence.

#TakeMeHome

One of the core projects of the 2021 Jerusalem Biennale: artists were invited to send works of art that, in their perception, people will want to take home with them. 200 artworks with the potential to enrich someone’s private space was collected and installed at the Shaare Zedek venue- the new home of The Jerusalem Biennale. Visitors were invited to tour in the building and enjoy the “regular” art experience, bearing in mind that at the end of their tour they will be able to choose an artwork to take home.

Venues

functions As in previous years, The Jerusalem Biennale has venues around Jerusalem that were hosting group exhibitions and installations, connecting architecture, history and art. Selected Jerusalem venues hosted curated exhibitions, among them HaMiffal, Jerusalem Print Workshop, Mishkenot, Tower of David Museum, Blackbox Gallery and the Gesher Guest House. Curation is being shaped in close connection with the hosting venues.

PHASEs

A new model for intimate gatherings around art, developed by The Jerusalem Biennale. We invited audiences to visit artistic private spaces (“Dalet Amot”):
Private Homes Art Space Events (PHASEs). This project has the potential to inspire a variety of outcomes. We hoped to encourage our audience to think about their own homes as places to respect art and share it with intimate groups of friends and strangers, perhaps even to start their own private art collections. With the right model, we believe this initiative has the potential to be scaled up and developed further in the future.