Art at Mishkenot Sha'ananim

At one of the seminars at Mishkenot Sha'ananim, author David Grossman remarked that during his stay here for the purpose of writing, he requested that the curtains be drawn and all the openings closed so that the view would not distract him and prevent him from concentrating on his creative work. It is indeed difficult to ignore the beauty of Mishkenot Sha’ananim or to compete with it or with the rich collection of works of art that adorn the walls of the residence. The photographic works of Israeli artists included in the Mishkenot collection are displayed in the interior public spaces and guest rooms of Mishkenot Sha'ananim and emphasize the tension between the old and the new—contemporary art versus the immortal landscape of the city’s walls—which is also the story of Jerusalem.

Artists in Mishkenot

Yair Barak

Born in 1973 in Israel.

Yair Barak studied at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and Camera Obscura, where he also taught. In 2005, he established the photography department at the Minshar School of Art in Tel Aviv.

His work is nourished by local content and deals with constructing the viewer's view of reality. His early works criticize the local landscape while his later works address rituals in the local culture. The contents of his work touch on the concept of beauty and identity and often produce a dialogue with the history of art in general and photography in particular.

Yair Barak