By Shalva Englander and Aliza Flug, Layout Editor and Social Media Manager
Walking into the “Resilience & Reflection” art exhibit was like paying a visit to a shiva house; it felt like a safe place to grieve. In New York, at times it feels like there’s no space to mourn October 7, surrounded by the shouting of those who claim we deserve this pain. Yet, with glass doors open to all, the David Benrimon Fine Art complex was a haven that dared hate to enter.
This contemporary art gallery invited Danielle R’Bibo to curate her first solo exhibition, “Resilience & Reflection.” As the name implies, this exhibition showcased the work of Israeli artists who used the powerful tool of art to process their deep emotions surrounding Oct. 7, demonstrating persistence in overcoming despair. The exhibit’s overwhelming theme was how art brings both the artists and the audience together in communal healing.
We were welcomed by a wall of familiar faces, the very ones that have lined the lobby of the 245 Lexington Avenue building since Sukkos last year. Eager to see the art, we almost didn’t notice the small plaque describing this piece that changed our whole perspective: Dede Bandaid & Nitzan Mintz, Bring Them Home Now.
This gallery allows those who come the chance to witness healing through art and understand how artists processed their emotions in the aftermath of tragedy. However, after noticing this plaque, the unthought of became clear: art has been with us ever since Oct. 7.
These hostage posters did not just spawn into existence, but were gifted to the world by this artist couple partnered with designers Tal Huber and Shira Gershoni. These posters have been a means through which many have processed their own grief, the art a mantra through which awareness was spread across the world by creating one of the largest public guerilla artworks in history.
Like true artists, Bandaid and Mintz didn’t just stop at making hostage posters for the world, but continued making aching art to heal themselves. Both artists came together to build three multimedia art collages. Bandaid, an Israeli graffiti artist, designed the collages’ tragic graphics, and Mintz, the visual poet, put their emotions into words. Their three pieces commanded the room with their striking illustrations, incorporation of bold text and highly saturated colors.
To the left, A Sniper’s Aim by Bandaid depicts teetering white buildings consumed by copper flames with a single sniper’s target aimed at the building in the foreground. Painted in neat white letters on the top is, “I will hold you pierced with lonesomeness after thousand nights,” a testament to this horrible, unforgettable event.
In the center, October by Bandaid and Mintz is a kaleidoscope of wide-eyed somber faces and toppling buildings reduced to rubble shrouded in flames. It’s organized chaos painted in sky blues, eye-burning reds, and bright oranges, a reminder of our pain even as time heals the all-consuming burns in the midst of this tragedy.
On the right, Handful of Dreams by Bandaid and Mintz nearly glows with its bold Hebrew lettering on top of a cyan background. The words translate to, “A bed bakes my body like bread, filling it with a handful of dreams. When I open my eyes, how great is the hunger, woe to the walls.”
The physical hunger for bread and food expressed in the poem echo a hunger for peace and prosperity, while the “handful of dreams” symbolizes hope for a future in Eretz Yisrael, one without hatred and violence.
While the “bed” in the poem alludes to the place where dreams are produced, it may also describe the sadness and gloom felt by many since Oct. 7. In addition to the deep longing for the return of the hostages, there is a sense of hopelessness and helplessness, of just lying stagnant, baking like a loaf of bread. The poem encourages its readers to fill their hands with hopes and dreams for a better future.
Bandaid and Mintz were not the only great artists in this exhibit using art as a means of healing. The exhibit featured four photographic watercolor paintings that were part of a larger collection of eighteen paintings created by Israeli artist Darya Arad. Arad based her paintings on photographs from her mother’s childhood growing up on Kibbutz Nahal Oz. They open up a small window into what life was like on the kibbutz.
Unfortunately, this kibbutz was destroyed on Oct. 7. With these paintings, Arad preserves the remaining memories from her mother’s childhood. Although these paintings depict scenes of everyday life, one can’t help but feel devastated knowing that the places where these pictures were taken no longer exist. These scenes of everyday life may seem mundane, but moments like these become precious after the tragedies of Oct. 7, with the scary realization that they could be taken away.
While these photos are images from Arad’s family and her mother’s childhood, they also remind the viewer of a place that no longer exists. Not only did Hamas destroy Kibbutz Nahal Oz, but they also killed many civilians and soldiers and took hostages from the kibbutz. However, they also destroyed a part of the artist’s life, leaving only photos, and now paintings, as reminders of what once was.
Although there may never be full comfort nor remedy for the feelings of grief and anger that come from such tragedy, there is something extremely inspiring about seeing an artist who chose to stand up against what happened and use it as a basis for her artwork. Through her art, Arad uses her pain surrounding the devastating destruction of the kibbutz as a means to create powerful artwork, and in turn, to comfort a nation during this dark time.
Art has been a means of healing ever since Oct. 7. Bandaid and Mintz offer comfort through their posters which gives a sense of purpose and means of coping with pain. Their art was used to advocate for Israel and voice anguish to the world. By speaking out, we relieve some of the pain we all carry. Even though we receive art from others, in a way, we make it our own and use it to heal and cope. These same artists continued to create art that expressed their emotions despite the hardships that they face. The collages formed a bridge from the artists’ own expressions to the audience and their art became a means of communal healing through shared emotions.
The artists communicate a message of hope for a better future not just through their art, but with their words. This exhibit was a testament to the fact that art can serve both as a reminder of the events which took place and all that has been lost but also as a means through which people can heal and move forward with hope.
Photo Caption: (from left to right) A Snipers Aim, October, Handful of Dreams at the Resilience & Reflection Exhibit
Photo Credit: Shalva Englander