The Ideas Book
Joav BarEl
1969
On March 13, 1969, the late Joav BarEl opened a notebook he called 'The Ideas Book'. In it, he wrote proposals for works of art in various mediums: painting, sculpture, photography, performance, video art, crossword puzzles and games, food art, and even the establishment of a museum for alternative histories.
Over time, the notebook became a performative act in itself. In BarEl's living room, guests were invited to take these suggestions and interpret them. The ideas were recorded with a black pen, and the documentation of their execution was recorded with a red pen. Over time, the book of ideas became a collaborative platform, in which the work of art takes place within the tension between the singular performance, and the possibility of repetition and change.
In line with the conceptual train of thought of the '60s and '70s, BarEl saw the book as a space free from material limitations; to think about the relationship between the artist, the artistic object, and the viewer. Some of the ideas in the book were realized, and others remained as an open invitation and evidence of a playful and open-source discourse of the time.
- Copies: 1
- Pages: 63
- Type of binding: Hard Cover
- Dimensions (cm): 27X33
- Reproductions: Yair Meyuhas
- Publication: Independent
Joav BarEl (also written Yoav Bar-El), (1933–1977) was an Israeli artist, critic, and lecturer. He was an influential figure in Israel's contemporary art scene during the 1960s and 70s. BarEl's early artistic practice was influenced by European abstract art. His range of works was broad and eclectic, encompassing expressionist oil paintings, a series of paintings and drawings on paper inspired by Franz Kafka’s stories (1958–1960), abstract stone and plaster reliefs, and zen-inspired ink drawings. Later in his career, between 1967 and 1970, BarEl produced acrylic paintings, collages, and photographic transfer works influenced by American pop art, using magazine photographs and advertisements as his source. In those paintings, BarEl used industrial spray paint and bright complementary colors. His painting Kennedy Assassination, 1968, was first shown at the "Political" exhibition organized by the 10+ Group in Tel Aviv and received critical responses due to its overtly political nature. It was later shown at the Israeli gallery Tempo Rubato (2014) and was included in the Tate Modern exhibition "The World Goes Pop" in 2015–2016. Alongside his artistic endeavors, BarEl was active as an art critic and lecturer and had a profound impact on future generations of Israeli artists. Joav BarEl died of heart disease in 1977, at the age of 44.
