LOVE JUDE

Eitan Bartal

"LOVE JUDE” reimagines Robert Indiana's iconic “LOVE” sculpture as a playful pop piece that revolves around the word “Jude,” with all its historically charged meanings. Displaying the loaded word in this manner creates a confusing reversal. The word is strongly associated with the yellow badge Jews were ordered to wear under Nazi rule. The badge bore the word “JUDE” in Latin letters designed by the Nazi regime to resemble distorted and corrupted Hebrew letters. Caught between the initial lightheartedness of the piece and the dark feelings it evokes in their subconscious, the viewers are asked to hold a handle that measures their heart rate. The piece then responds to the readings and inflates to show just how much love and emotion they feel towards “JUDE.”