Mashkof in Print

Artists: David Ben-Shaul, Zvi Tolkovsky, Avraham Ofek, Yoram Rozov, Ivan Schwebel, Yitzhak Gaon, Shaul Shats, Milka Cizik, Pini Moshe, Tzivia Weinman, Michael Gitlin, and Yehoshua Neustein
Curator: Merav Hamburger and Arik Kilemnik

Mashkof was a multidisciplinary collective composed of painters, poets, and musicians. The group, which was active between 1968-1970 in Jerusalem, included: David Ben-Shaul, Zvi Tolkovsky, Avraham Ofek, Yoram Rozov, Ivan Schwebel, Yitzhak Gaon, Shaul Shats, Milka Cizik, Pini Moshe, Tzivia Weinman, Michael Gitlin, and Yehoshua Neustein. In addition, Gershon Ben-David, Dennis Silk, Harold Schimmel, Yossi Ofek, Yehuda Amichai, and Yossi Mar-Haim played an active role as poets and musicians in the group’s first exhibitions and happenings. Mashkof was a radical group compared to its predecessors in the Jerusalem art scene. Their artistic approach left its mark on Jerusalem and Israel until this day.

In the 1960s and 1970s print was booming worldwide and the Israeli group became an active part of the movement. Mashkof, as a group, worked and became acquainted with one another in David Ben Shaul’s workshop. In the print workshop, artists had the opportunity to push the limits of their social relationships and form new bonds around art in a cooperative environment outside the triangular borders of the city’s center. The Jerusalem Print Workshop is honored to exhibit Mashkof. We feel exceptionally close to these artists who chose time and time again to work in the print medium. We had the privilege of inviting many of them to pursue printing in The Jerusalem Print Workshop over the years. The following exhibition is a compilation of works from the Mashkof period and works created by individual artists in later years.

Poets and Musicians: Gershon Ben-David, Dennis Silk, Harold Schimmel, Yossi Ofek, Yehuda Amichai, and Yossi Mar-Haim