In her work Swimming Lesson, Vardit Goldner presents a fake documentary in which she gives a swimming lesson to Bedouin girls in a “swimming pool” without water in the middle of the desert. Accompanied by a translator, the scene unfolds like an ordinary lesson, with classic exercises condensed into a single session. An unrealistic sequence, because it is impossible to learn to swim without water. The aim is to make us think about the lack of swimming pools accessible to Bedouins in Israel.
The artist’s work tackles the discrimination suffered by the Bedouins of the Negev. Since 1948, the Israeli government has refused to recognise dozens of Arab villages. These “unrecognised villages” are isolated, without access to electricity, water and sanitation. Their inhabitants are therefore forced to buy water brought in in tanks, which is far more costly than running water. They have also suffered from massive expulsions, in line with the government’s goal of forcing them to settle in towns created for the purpose in order to free up the lands they occupy in the Negev.
By using this work as a window onto these injustices, Vardit Goldner gives the girls a voice. Rather than actresses, they are representatives of their community. So the video explores lesser-known everyday struggles and tackles major issues, such as discrimination against minorities and the climate crisis.