May 30, 2025

Where Do the Muses Go? The Art Field in Israel in a Reality of Extremes The Second Givat Haviva Art Conference Conference Summary

On May 16, 2025, Givat Haviva held its second annual art conference: "The Art Field in Israel in a Reality of Extremes."  The auditorium was filled with a large, diverse, and excited audience—artists, cultural institution directors, curators, art teachers, social activists, and art enthusiasts.

Speakers included Michal Sella, CEO of Givat Haviva;  Anat Lidror, Director of the Givat Haviva Shared Art Center; Prof. Yuli Tamir, President of Beit Berl College and former Minister of Education; Dr. Zeev Degani, Principal of Herzliya Gymnasium; Prof. Asad Azi, artist and lecturer; Prof. Nurit Gertz, Israeli author and researcher; Sophie Abu Shakra, architect, and artist Raida Adon, international artist who came from Paris for the conference. The event included a panel moderated by Dr. Galia Bar-Or and a conversation between artist Raida Adon and curator Anat Lidror.

Themes and Reflections

The conference addressed the heart of the sensitive and complex reality in which the art field operates today:

Between political pressure and Jewish-Palestinian solidarity, between being silenced and creating, between the loneliness of individual voices and belief in the collective power of the art field.

Givat Haviva CEO Michal Sela stated during the event that:

Signs of extremism, exclusion, and fear are present in culture and art. Artists who expressed a complex or critical stance were excluded, silenced, and marked. This is a dangerous process for democracy, for society, and for us as individuals who internalize this silencing. In this conference, we choose not to be silent—not in the name of some general hope or romantic vision, but out of an understanding that this is our role—as an organization, as creators—through shared solidarity between Jews and Arabs, between different identities and perspectives, within a torn reality.

 

 

 

A Field Under Pressure – But Not Silent

In the main session, "The Art World Under Attack," a current snapshot of the threats facing the field was presented. This includes:

• Budget cuts
• Institutional closures by local and municipal authorities
• Silencing through exclusion or a preference for institutional self-censorship (including at academic colleges)
• Removal from public discourse
• A systematic detachment from the international arena

Dr. Galia Bar-Or, curator and art researcher, described an enduring dynamic of museum and art center closures, instances of internal censorship, and limitations on freedom of expression, even within academic galleries. Contemporary art that acknowledges gender and multiculturalism is being increasingly perceived as dangerous. On the other hand, she noted a transformation in some museums, with increased inclusion, diversity, and an emphasis on the museum's ethical responsibility in the current social and political landscape.

Anat Lidror, curator and Director of the Givat Haviva Shared Art Center, added

Last year, the exhibiting artist and her curators chose not to open the Israeli pavilion until the hostages were returned and the war ended. Now, Israel is absent from the Architecture Biennale, and the tender [SB1] for next year's Art Biennale pavilion has been delayed. The picture is bleak. Does Israel only want artistic voices that aren't too independent in their opinions? How will Israel's withdrawal from the international scene affect its internal cultural discourse?

Personal Voices from the Struggle

Artist and actress Raida Adon echoed a sense of personal and collective fracture:  "I live between two peoples, speak two languages. My heart is broken—but full."

She added that silencing has become an existential reality: “Artists are afraid. There is a lack of mutual support. We must respond."

Prof. Nurit Gertz described the soft censorship in the media, “an article I wrote after October 7th wasn't published—because 'it was too soon.' So, when is the right time? There is no other time."

Artist and architect Sophie Abu Shakra, whose exhibition was canceled at the Vitrina Gallery at Holon Institute of Technology, described the strong support she received after the cancellation, "my art is about life, not pain, but our way is to feel the pain on both sides. That is our way toward healing. Since October 7th, some friends have drifted away, but some relationships have deepened. We're finding ways to strengthen and support each other, to talk about the pain and what each of us is experiencing."

Artist and professor Asad Azi emphasized the artist's role as a social conscience,

Artists are the country's pulse. There have always been costs, but now there is a real threat to our humanity….I live in a country that excludes me, since the Nation-State Law. My family serves in the army; we are bereaved, and yet we are excluded. I create coded art—maybe after my death, they'll understand everything I meant. Artists must hold their heads high and keep the flame alive.

Yuli Tamir, President of Beit Berl College, addressed the complexity of confronting institutional censorship, referencing two specific cases in which she was involved. She noted that the threat of funding cuts is ever-present: 

The decision to revoke funding for institutions based on certain expressions is always looming. We're constantly being watched. From time to time, the minister asks if there are Hamas supporters on the Beit Berl campus. Well—there aren't. But we are always being watched. 'Im Tirtzu' is very quick to file complaints, and we consult with legal advisors to know where the line is. We were once sued and had to pay a 400,000 shekel fine. Our job—then and now—is to keep academia a safe space for students and guests, a protected space for creativity and learning.

She concluded by saying that this conference is "a beginning—toward building a core of creative response."

Zeev Degani, Principal of Herzliya Gymnasium, described the Autonomous Biennale as an act of engagement and resistance: "This year marked the second Autonomous Biennale. It's a joint effort with Palestinian-Israeli artists. It encourages artists in a reality so silenced."

An Open Heart in a Closed Reality

The conference emphasized a clear artistic stance:

The shared position of the art field is a human one—recognizing the pain on both sides, rejecting silencing and exclusion—whether gendered, cultural, or national—and acting from a place of deep human solidarity.

This is reflected in the growing creative efforts despite—and even in defiance of—hardships: the shared artist residency program at Givat Haviva, including a shared studio space and accommodations; art incubators in Umm al-Fahm, Haifa, and many other arenas, including the Makom Art Incubator in Haifa, Feel Beit in Jerusalem, and programs in Rahat in the Negev. There was also the People's Peace Conference, a collaborative initiative uniting various shared society organizations operating nationwide!

A Field Threatened – But Still Enduring

The art field in Israel currently operates under a real danger of suppression, silencing, and isolated national retrenchment. Yet within this threat, a countermovement emerges—of depth, partnership, and belief in multicultural human power.

Out of this extreme reality, solidarity between Jewish and Palestinian artists is born—refusing to give up:

On freedom of expression

On authentic and free art

On solidarity

And on the possibility of a shared society here in this land

 

The Way Forward:

Action and creation—together, together.

The compass: an open heart.

 

Watch Highlights from the Conference:

Opening Remarks: Michal Sela, CEO of Givat Haviva, and Anat Lidror, Director of the Shared Art Center

"Two Together": The story of two AIR Givat Haviva artist residency alumni

"One-on-One": Anat Lidror in conversation with Raida Adon

"The Art World Under Attack": Addressing current challenges

Tour of the Exhibition "Wild Light" led by the exhibiting artists