Belu Simion Fainaru (new Israel Prize winner) and Avital Bar-Shay break the boundaries of the cultural boycott of Israel and exhibit in an international show at the Havana International Biennial.
Israeli curators Belu-Simion Fainaru and Avital Bar-Shay are currently exhibiting a selection of artworks by various Israelis and themselves throughout this month at the International Biennial in Havana, Cuba, despite the fact that the two countries have no formal relations. Fainaru and Bar-Shay are the creators of the Mediterranean Biennial, an exhibition usually held in northern Israel. Fainaru tells us that he has just been chosen by the Minister of Education as the winner of the prestigious Israel Prize in the field of interdisciplinary design and art for 2025. He reports: “The Havana Biennial, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, is one of the oldest and most important biennial exhibitions in the world, and with a different vibe than those held in Europe.”
Belu and Avital
The exhibition addresses issues of identity, displacement and belonging in a global world. Despite the complex political and social challenges following the war, which are expected to make Israeli participation in the art world difficult, the curators managed to successfully stage the exhibition. Fainaru tells us that “in the aftermath of the war, Israeli artists and curators are currently facing boycotts from many art institutions around the world. This phenomenon makes it difficult to exhibit artworks internationally. The boycott of Israel in the art field leads to the isolation of Israeli artists and curators in the international arena and prevents the possibility of creating a cultural dialogue with other art communities around the world. Where art is supposed to serve as a unifying factor, it becomes a political tool to express opposition to Israel.”
Work by Murjan Abu Deba
However, the Havana Biennial, contrary to the general trend, chose not to impose a boycott on Israeli curators and artists. The success of the exhibition is a particularly significant achievement, as it places Israeli art on the international art stage and allows Israeli curators to lead the project. This achievement is a symbol of the fight against the limitations imposed by the boycott, and illustrates the importance of keeping open the dialogue and artistic action based on the commitment to art as a cultural bridge between peoples.
Work by Serban Savu
Fainaru: Israel Prize
Education Minister Yoav Kish has just announced that Belu Simon Fainaru, an award-winning international multidisciplinary artist, is the winner of the Israel Prize in the field of interdisciplinary art and design by 2025. The prize committee noted in its reasoning that “Fainaru has emerged as one of the country’s leading artists addressing Jewish spiritual baggage and the power of symbol and letter in Jewish mystical culture.” It adds: “Fainaru addresses the question of the role of the artist in society and devotes a significant part of his time to initiatives that are primarily non-institutional artistic works, with the conviction that in the XNUMXst century the artist must leave the confines of the studio, engage in society and work to change reality through art that seeks correction and healing.”
Fainaru's work