Counting Up
Pessach - Shavuot, 5785
April 14 - May 29, 2025
"Counting Up" was an exhibit centered on the theme of counting, looking at how we mark days in the context of the Omer counting, as well as tracking time in contemporary Israel. Three characteristics of the Omer count—the daily ritual of marking the passage of time, the spiritual process of growth and renewal, and the stability provided by structured time—became the structure for the exhibit and were reflected in the works of Israeli artists responding to life in the first year of the war.
Curator - Eli Kaplan Wildmann
Photos - Yona Kaplan
Omer
2012
David Moss
davidmoss.com
Cut paper on foam board
In this work, the Counting of the Omer is represented through a system of formal visual rules inspired by the traditional Omer text — which commands us to count both the days and the weeks. The counting of days in the piece is marked with gray rectangles: the tens column appears above, and the single digits below (for example, for the 23rd day). At the center of each day, the number of weeks and days that have passed is shown in color, with the weeks on the lower layer and the days above them (continuing with the example: one week and six days). The colors in the piece are based on the symbolic color system of the Kabbalistic Sefirot, with each day and week associated with a specific hue reflecting its spiritual meaning.
David Moss's piece was also the inspiration for a game at the exhibit. Young and young-at-heart visitors could spin the spinner and jump to a corresponding floor tile before anyone else did. The game lasts seven rounds, and if you get "out," you don't need to worry, since there is Omer counting again next year.
Omer Counting Cards
2021
Jay Smith
@mmmjaysmith
Digital print
The Kabbalistic system of Sefirot associated with the days of the Omer creates a complex structure that sparks curiosity and inspires many creators. In this work, the link between each week and its corresponding Sefirah is made explicit, as is the intersection of each day with an additional Sefirah. The artist expanded on that with iconographic rules. They combined the structure of the Sefirot with symbols of growth and creativity—such as hands and flowers—which intertwine in a different and unique configuration for each day.
On Two Fronts
During the first 100 days after her partner returned home from reserve duty, the artist created one illustration each day for this project, which was recently published as a book. The illustrations are highly varied, ranging from depictions of simple, everyday scenes to difficult relationship moments, as well as abstract and metaphorical images. What unites the drawings is their format, and the small space each one occupies within a larger structure—a story of war and love.
"It was exciting to me that we were displaying the artworks about now, responding to the war, alongside the pieces that are connected to the ancient Omer counting ritual. And then the surprise was that so often, the Omer pieces were actually the ones with the more contemporary aesthetic and style.
- Eli Kaplan Wildmann, Curator