Food Stamps 1

Food stamps series In the 1950s, Israel endured a period of “austerity”, which included rationing and other measures to weather the crisis of the early days of statehood. At such time, meal vouchers were a sought-after commodity. In this series, Shpilsher paints on original food ration stamps that have been preserved from such period of “austerity”. She partially covers the food stamps with paintings of familiar and popular Israeli foods and pop culture that evoke nostalgic memories of childhood, bursting with bright colors and flavor. Over the years, Shpilsher has painted many works on these vintage ration stamps, most of which focus on consumer culture, highlighting the contrast between austerity and modern abundance. In her new series created especially for the current exhibition, Shpilsher collected a pool of memories from different groups of people who each told her what was most Israeli to them.