Virtual Artist Talk with Yael Bartana: The Undertaker

The Contemporary Dayton is honored to present Yael Bartana’s The Undertaker. Bartana’s films
and installations explore the imagery of identity and the politics of memory. Her starting point is the
national consciousness propagated by her native country of Israel and the meanings implied by terms
like “Homeland”, “Return” and “Belonging”.
The Undertaker chronicles an enigmatic leader and her followers during a choreographed procession
and burial of weapons. Philadelphia, the birthplace of American democracy, plays a prominent role
as this group of dancers, war veterans, and activists move across the city’s historical landscape. Their
procession and slow, deliberate gestures are grounded in the movements of Israeli dance composer
Noa Eshkol, particularly her 1953 ceremonial performance in remembrance of the Holocaust.

The Undertaker is on view at the Contemporary Dayton from January 13 through March 26, 2022.