In the illustration exhibition “Exchange of Words” by the Visual Communication Department at Bezalel, illustrators Elena Lerman, Anat Warshavsky, and Eitan Eloa — all department alumni — present three visual narratives that break away from the traditional spatial and rhythmic structure of flipping through a book, and instead relocate into a physical space that one can walk through. Together in this shared space, and guided by a set of self-invented rules, the stories converse with one another, provoke one another, and challenge the viewer/reader with new modes of engagement.

Elena Lerman and Anat Vershavsky illustrate original texts of their own, while Eitan Eloa illustrates the short story “Wedding Dresses” by author Shoham Smit, taken from her short story collection Home Center. The three visual narratives’ engagement with the physical architecture of the gallery space and the new dimensions created within it has a direct impact on their narrative structures, raising questions about the role and experience of illustration when presented in an exhibition format.

In Elena Lerman’s work, illustrations appear on the walls and floor, with blurry boundaries that resist the familiar edges of a printed page. Anat Warshavsky's illustrated elements are made of flat cardboard, but through her treatment they come to life in three-dimensional form within the gallery space. Eitan Eloa presents a massive concertina-style structure suspended from the ceiling, turning the traditional reading experience on its head by inviting viewers to walk between its folds and read the story from within.

Meirev Solomon, Head of the Illustration Track at Bezalel and curator of the exhibition, writes:

“The gallery is not necessarily the natural habitat of illustration; the transition from a two-dimensional space to an architectural, site-specific one offers a wholly different viewing and reading experience. At the same time, the exhibition deepens the exploration of each illustrator’s personal visual language, and the way these languages merge into a complete visual and conceptual whole.

As with the department’s exhibition in Illustration Week 2014 (‘Lifetime Achievement’ by Tal Granot and Niv Tishbi), the artists have created original works specifically for this space, responding directly to the gallery environment and the unique qualities of illustration within it. Once again, the viewer is invited to an exceptional, original, and engaging illustration experience — one that explores and visually reflects on questions of readability, page-turning, narrative, and visual language.”