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The Israeli Embassy is staging a special exhibition at Jintai Art Museum to introduce the latest creative designs by contemporary artists and designers from that country.
Designers there have in recent years succeeded in attracting the attention of the world to their creations. One London-based design magazine has stated that it is time for people in the design field to shift their attention to Israel, where brisk, fresh work is on the rise.
Coming from a small nation of six million, it is surprising for many people to see such innovation.
The country has a short history as a cultural melting pot which includes immigrants from Morocco, Yemen, Germany and the United States. These people had to start afresh after Israel was founded in 1948.
Ordinary Israeli people had not realised the imortance of domestic design because they preferred to buy imported quality products.
Israel's domestic market is small and incapable of absorbing too many products of mass production. That has acted as a disincentive for investment in better machines and materials for the design industry.
But true designers are never deterred by such obstacles and are always willing to tap different sources for inspiration.
They have shifted their attention to explore the possible combination of art and industrial design, which makes each design unique.
At the same time, Israeli designers' works impress people with a feeling of constant change. Partly this is a reflection of the country's instable political situation. This, perhaps unexpectedly, coincides with today's cultural demands in a fast-changing world.
These designs are very practically related to daily life. Although you would never expect to buy them from stores or the market, there is no doubting their practical application, in sharp contrast to many bizarre creations in the international field.
The exhibition includes photos and artifacts by several Israeli designers who have made their names in recent years. 9 am-4 pm, February 18-March 8. 1 Nongzhan Nanlu, inside Chaoyang Park. Tel: 6501-9441
(Beijing Weekend February 19, 2003)
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