Re: Empathy - A New Exhibition at the TAU Genia Schreiber Art Gallery

The exhibition "Re: Empathy" was launched at the TAU Art Gallery in June 2024. The curator of the exhibition is Dr. Tamar Mayer and the assistant curator is Roni Kochavi.

The exhibition focuses on empathy in the fields of psychology, philosophy, sociology, and neuroscience, through the lens of visual arts. It examines, among others, responsible uses of AI to increase pro-social behavior.

Dr. Tamar Mayer initiated the exhibition "Re: Empathy" following October 7, which confronted us all, both as individuals and as a society at large, with challenges in empathetic behavior. The exhibition poses the question: Can art-making offer a space for processing and containing such an experience? In answer to that, "Re: Empathy" highlights our ability to care for one another, and the important and rewarding experience of drawing together. This exhibition, like those preceding it, involves a dialogue between Israeli artists and university scholars.

Collaborating with TAD

"Re: Empathy" is supported by The Center for AI and Data Science (TAD) as part of an ongoing collaboration between TAD and TAU Art Gallery.

A recent experiment conducted in the gallery by Dr. Tamar Mayer and Prof. Udi Sommer, and supported by a grant from TAD (ARTificial DEMOCRACIES) has shown that the gallery setting raised a sense of trustworthiness among visitors. The current exhibition builds on these findings, examining the gallery’s role in building a sense of compassion in its viewers and participants.

"Re: Empathy" involves collaborations with several TAD scholars: Dr. Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal (Psychology & Neuroscience), Prof. Udi Sommer (Political Science), Dr. Mor Pipek (Computer Science), and others. TAD Executive Director, Dr. Shiri Stempler helped in advising and connecting the TAD researchers with the gallery.

The exhibition includes original artworks in a variety of media by Israeli artists whose works derive from societal shifts, connectedness, and the biological ability to give and receive empathy and compassion. Among these works, is an installation that explores AI and the extension of human responsiveness to others.