The image of Israel on the global stage is the product of the intersection between what it projects externally and what is projected onto it. While the state exports positive images in order to influence public opinion and private actors may publish critical representations of the nation, the non-Israeli uses Israel as a screen onto which an imagined country is projected. This is the case of the Jewish Diaspora whose relation with Israel is charged with elements strictly connected to its internal dynamics, as well as that of those not connected to the Jewish state, whose perceptions are greatly shaped by the international spotlight on the nation and the conflicts within it.
The arts have long served the purpose of representing a nation and embodying a country’s lasting values, while fostering a sense of collective memory. In today’s globalized world, the arts further function as a means of critical self-reflection on the nation, contemporary culture, and politics. On the screen, on the page, and on canvas, the image(s) of Israel produced by the nation’s artistic establishments stand next to oeuvres about the Jewish state produced by non-Israelis. These works evoke another Israel which speaks about the visions and hopes of the Diaspora.
