18 December 2026 — 7 June 2027

Ruth Patir: (M)otherland

Created for the Israel Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, Ruth Patir's multi-channel video installation (M)otherland joins ancient archaeology and contemporary digital technology to examine the intersection of gender, motherhood, and the fraught politics of fertility and reproductive rights. This presentation at the Jewish Museum marks the work's U.S. premiere. The installation stars digitally animated Iron Age female figurines, modeled on archaeological artifacts dating from 800 to 600 BCE whose meaning remains uncertain but which are often associated with fertility. Four videos are woven together, drawing on Patir's own experiences following the diagnosis of a gene mutation and the pressures of fertility treatment within a male-dominated medical system. Using recorded conversations with people in her life, Patir turns the animated figurines into avatars for herself and the women around her, exploring bodily autonomy, medicalization, and state intervention—particularly in the context of Israel's state-funded IVF policies. A fifth video, Keening, was made after October 7, 2023, to address collective mourning and rage. Together, the five videos form a layered and poignant reflection on how personal stories are shaped by political, historical, and cultural forces.

The Jewish Museum