THE FIFTH MEDITERRANEAN BIENNALE
THE EXHIBITION RESPONDS TO THE CURRENT REALITY AND EXPLORES THEMES OF HOME, LOSS, PAIN, LONGING, AND HOPE. WE INVITE YOU TO CONTEMPLATE EXPERIENCES OF EMOTIONAL DETACHMENT, HELPLESSNESS, AND DISTRESS IN A SEARCH FOR MEANING IN A VIOLENT, CRUEL WORLD. ARE YOU STILL ABLE TO UNDERSTAND, TO EMPATHIZE, TO HELP?
THE EXHIBITION RESPONDS TO THE CURRENT REALITY AND EXPLORES THEMES OF HOME, LOSS, PAIN, LONGING, AND HOPE. WE INVITE YOU TO CONTEMPLATE EXPERIENCES OF EMOTIONAL DETACHMENT, HELPLESSNESS, AND DISTRESS IN A SEARCH FOR MEANING IN A VIOLENT, CRUEL WORLD. ARE YOU STILL ABLE TO UNDERSTAND, TO EMPATHIZE, TO HELP?
SEVEN NEW ART EXHIBITIONS IN HAIFA
HADAR HACARMEL • DOWNTOWN
Opening Event 18.01.24 © Vadim Chebak Photography
Main Exhibition | Sun—Thu 9:00—20:00 | Wizo Academy
18 JAN — 7 MAR
30 ARTISTS — 7 EXHIBITIONS
Welcome to the 5th Mediterranean Biennale, which takes place every two years in Haifa's urban public space. Thirty contemporary international artists bring art into the daily life of shops, businesses, and educational institutions scattered throughout the city. Seven various exhibitions outline an alternative cultural map for diverse audiences.
WIZO ACADEMY • HaGanim 21 • SUN-THU 10:00—20:00
AROMA • Ben Gurion 8 • SUN-THU 10:00—20:00, FR 10:00—14:00, SAT 10:00—20:00
CITY CENTER • Ben Gurion 6 • SUN-THU 10:00—20:00, FR 10:00—14:00, SAT 11:00—20:00
CAFÈ CAFÈ • Ben Gurion 31 • SUN-SAT 10:00—20:00
ToHuBoHU STuDIo • HaAtsmaut 7 • MON, FR, SAT 15:00—19:00 • PLAN YOUR VISIT • Please call and schedule your visit in advance
BABEL ART & BOOKS • Hatib 10 • SUN-THU 11:00—18:00
TSAFON ROASTERS • HaNevi'im 17 • SUN-SAT 8:00—21:00
WIZO ACADEMY • HaGanim 21 • SUN-THU 10:00—20:00
AROMA • Ben Gurion 8 • SUN-THU 10:00—20:00, FR 10:00—14:00, SAT 10:00—20:00
CITY CENTER • Ben Gurion 6 • SUN-THU 10:00—20:00, FR 10:00—14:00, SAT 11:00—20:00
CAFÈ CAFÈ • Ben Gurion 31 • SUN-SAT 10:00—20:00
TOHUBOHU STUDIO • HaAtsma'ut 7 • MON, FR, SAT 15:00—19:00 • PLAN YOUR VISIT • Please call and schedule your visit in advance
BABEL ART & BOOKS • Hatib 10 • SUN-THU 11:00—18:00
TSAFON ROASTERS • HaNevi'im 17 • SUN-SAT 8:00—21:00
30 ARTISTS
GALLERY
CURATORS
Belu-Simion Fainaru
Artist, curator and initiator of the Mediterranean Biennale born in 1959 in Romania, Belu-Simion Fainaru lives and works in Haifa, Israel and Antwerpen, Belgium. He holds a B.A. degree in Art and Philosophy from Haifa University and an M.F.A. in Art and Design from The University of Chicago, USA. Further studies include Domus Academy, Milan, Italy and the Bruxelles Royal Academy of Art, Belgium.
Fainaru‘s works were exhibited at the 1992 Documenta in Kassel, the 1993 Venice Biennale, the Sonsbeek, Biennale in Holland and the 2006 Biennale in Havana, Cuba. Previous solo exhibitions include Israel Museum in Jerusalem, S.M.A.K. Museum in Ghent, M HKA in Antwerpen, Lehmbruck Museum in Germany and Saitama Museum in Japan. He is a guest lecturer at universities in Belgium and Japan and has been teaching in the Department of Architecture at the Wizo Academy, Haifa, Israel since 1984. In 2008 he initiated the Mediterranean Biennale and since 2010 Belu-Simion Fainaru has been the artistic director and curator of the Mediterranean Biennale of Contemporary Art, Israel. In 2019 represented Romania at the 58th La Biennale di Venezia.
Avital Bar-Shay
Artist, designer, architect and initiator of the Mediterranean Biennale was born in 1966 in Israel. She lives and works in Israel. Bar-Shay holds a B. Arch. degree and a B.A. in Fine art.
Avital exhibited in Israel and abroad, she has vast experience in public space projects and she has been active as a cultural entrepreneur for over thirteen years. Avital specializes in artistic activity in the periphery. In 2008 she initiated the Mediterranean Biennale and since 2010 Avital Bar-Shay has been the curator and the art producer of the Mediterranean Biennale of Contemporary Art, Israel.
VENUES
City Center
6 Ben Gurion Ave. ✆ +972-4-853-0111
SUN-THU 10:00—20:00, FR 10:00—14:00, SAT 11:00—20:00
Aroma German Colony
8 Ben Gurion Ave. ✆ +972-4-644-3900
SUN-THU 10:00—20:00, FR 10:00—14:00, SAT 10:00—20:00
WIZO Academy of Design
21 HaGanim St. ✆ +972-1800-770-990
The main exhibition • SUN-THU 10:00—20:00, FR, SAT Closed
Tsafon Roasters • 2nd floor
17 HaNevi'im St. ✆ +972-53-540-5721
SUN-SAT 8:00—21:00 • An ongoing exhibition "DOGHEAD" by Haim Sokol is on the 1st floor
Tohubohu Photostudio
7 Derech HaAtsma'ut. ✆ +972-53-392-8357
PLAN YOUR VISIT • MON, FR, SAT 15:00—19:00 • Please call and schedule your visit in advance
EXHIBITIONS OUTLINE AN ALTERNATIVE CULTURAL MAP FOR DIVERSE AUDIENCES WANDERING THROUGH THE CITY
THE MEDITERRANEAN BIENNALE
ARCHIVES 2010 — 2024
We are celebrating fourteen years since the inauguration in Haifa in 2010 as a model for multicultural cooperation and dialogue between diverse outlooks and opinions held by different communities and groups. The Mediterranean Biennale is a venue to discuss the relevance of art in today’s consumerist society and to restore art to the public as a bridge between cultures.
We are celebrating fourteen years since the inauguration in Haifa in 2010 as a model for multicultural cooperation and dialogue between diverse outlooks and opinions held by different communities and groups. The Mediterranean Biennale is a venue to discuss the relevance of art in today’s consumerist society and to restore art to the public as a bridge between cultures.
