Israeli artist Michal Helfman’s new work takes on history and notions of “forgive and forget” in Berlin.Her 2016 project currently on display at KW Institute for Contemporary Art is called “Running Out of History.” The title suggests a certain exhaustion of means to talk about history, politics and its conflicts. In response to this observation, the artist explores ways in which artistic discourse can go beyond clichés of historical narratives. She mixes abstract dance, technology and theater to draw the audience’s attention to the issues of collective responsibility, memory and solidarity.Helfman takes as a starting point her interviews with Gal Lusky, the founder and CEO of Israeli Flying Aid, a humanitarian organization devoted to helping people whose lives are affected by natural disasters and military conflicts. Lusky, who developed a volunteer network which has been able to reach some of the most dangerous areas in the world, including war-torn Syria, discusses with Helfman her understanding of the concept of smuggling. As Lusky explains, it is an act of finding new ways of infiltrating areas which seem impenetrable. Helfman uses the tactic of smuggling as an artistic practice, as she creates two dice with the use of 3D-printer which Lusky’s organization uses to create artificial limbs for war refugees.The dice have printed on them the words which make up the slogan “We will not forget, we will not forgive.” In a poignant scene in the video, Helfman and Lusky sit opposite each other and take turns to roll the dice on a small table. Each roll of the dice is symbolic of the arbitrary course of the history and our responses to it as individuals and communities.At one point, Lusky questions the validity of art as a response to the extremities of war. Helfman, however, defends her position with subtlety and sophistication.“Running out of History” runs at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Auguststraße 69, 10117 Berlin through March 13, 2016.
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