Throughout history, the definition of Magic encompassed a multitude of meanings, and continues to vary from one discipline to another. From an anthropological lens, whereby it is conceived as a mode of thought, Magic connotes a belief in our ability to affect our environment using performative action. In this sense, Magic is akin to art insofar as it revolves around a deep-held and intrinsic belief in our capacity to influence our reality through symbolic and theatrical acts.

In the Torah, Magic and Judaism are intertwined in a complex and dualistic relationship, one that is at variance with the latter’s basic theological principles. Yet, Jewish history remains deeply rooted in the logos of Magic, from charms and incantation bowls, to ceremonies of purity and sin, and from “Kitchen Magic”- which aims to resolve quotidian challenges- to entire research disciplines such as Kabalistic Magic- which has been conferred the status of a field of expertise amongst its disciples.

This year’s series of exhibitions, Abra Cadabra, seeks to explicate this amorphous relation, between Magic’s rationale and a Jewish body of knowledge which is expressed through art