Avital Barak

Israel

Dr. Avital Barak is an associate curator at the Center for Digital Art (CDA) in Holon and a scholar specializing in movement and performance. Her Ph.D. research delves into the various forms of resistance manifested through movement in public spaces. At Kibbutzim College, Barak teaches courses covering the history, theory, and cultural studies of performance, dance in public spaces, and writing.

Barak's curatorial work encompasses exhibitions rooted in research, public events, and collaborative research groups. Over the past decade, she has curated solo and group exhibitions based on research in Israel and internationally. Her articles have been published in esteemed Hebrew and English journals and publications.

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As part of an ongoing method of collective investigation developed by the CDA over the past six years, a research group of artists, historians, archaeologists, architects, and urban planners embarked on a journey to trace the remnants of the Ottoman Empire in Israel/Palestine. Over the past year, the group thoroughly explored texts, documents, sites, and institutions, engaging with people they encountered along the way, fostering imagination and speculative thinking.

This quest is centered around shedding light on a silenced and erased past, focusing on our region and its connection to the Ottoman Empire. Given the vast amount of data and investigative possibilities spanning over 400 years, it was only feasible to cover some of the different phases of the relationship between the Empire's center and our region. This is why our project, from the start, was fragmentary, arbitrary, and at times esoteric. We acknowledge and use it as a "code" for the journey's progress. 

This project is a collaboration of the CDA, Holon, with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation; it will conclude with an exhibition opening in November at the CDA, accompanied by an alternative audio-visual digital tour currently being developed by the group. The core principles of this research project lie in collective investigation, shared knowledge, and collaboration. We are committed to upholding these principles throughout our work on the research outcomes.