Ruthi Zinger (b. 1960, Swaziland) lives and works in Kfar Yona. She holds a BA in Film and TV and an MA in Theater Design from Tel Aviv University, where she twice received the America-Israel Cultural Foundation prize. Her works were exhibited in solo and group exhibitions, including the Artists’ House, Tel Aviv; Alfred Gallery, of which she is a member; the Umm al-Fahm Art Gallery; and Azrielli Gallery, Jerusalem. In 2022, she won a grant from the Ministry of Culture’s fund for independent creators to participate in an artist residency program in Buenos Aires. Zinger works in drawing and painting in mixed media, along with drawing-based video works and installations. Her works often center on sociopolitical themes while examining identity-forming mechanisms and collective awareness.

I based the works in the exhibition on drawings of items and views from the home of the Jabrin family in Umm al-Fahm. I have remained in touch with the family since I exhibited at their home in 2020. Most of the elements on display originate in drawings created in blue pencil, a color I associate with memory, which I transform into other media. A video work screened on an entire wall shows a walk inside a drawing of Umm al-Fahm. In the background, we hear Amir talking about his childhood, the cypress tree in the painting and other things. A large wallpaper that hangs on a different wall combines drawings from Umm al-Fahm with drawings associated with my biography. A shelf-like object holds drawing-based items. Along with this is a large drawing of a gaze looking out from the family living room.