Zeela Kotler Hadari – curator, writer, lecturer, and researcher of Israeli art

She began her professional career as an investigative and magazine journalist for the weekend supplement of the Globes newspaper—a position she held for over a decade, starting in 2008. In parallel, she initiated and founded an independent art and culture magazine in Haifa in 2016, which covered the developing scene in the DownTown.

In 2018, she completed her studies in contemporary curating and museology at the The Institute for Israeli Art, at the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yafo. She went on to intern under senior curator Dr. Galia Bar Or during her activities in Haifa, serving as content manager and assistant for large-scale municipal projects.

In 2021, she was appointed curator and artistic director of the "Stairway Quarter" project in Haifa—a major municipal initiative aimed at installing an art exhibition in the public space along the Haifa stairs axis, spanning from Central Carmel to Golomb Street. The project encompassed research, curating, artistic direction, and production, carried out in collaboration with over a hundred artists and various bodies and institutions, including the Haifa Municipality and Beit HaGefen, alongside securing sponsorships and forging strategic partnerships.

In 2022, she was appointed director and curator of the Ein Hod Art Gallery, a position she continues to hold today. Over the years, she has curated dozens of exhibitions in the central gallery of the artists’ village—which spans a total area of over 500 square meters—while artistically directing multidisciplinary events within the gallery and the public space of Ein Hod. Her role also includes ongoing research into the history of the artists' village and its contribution to the Israeli art field. During her tenure, the gallery transitioned into a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting excellence in art.

Since 2020, she has served as content editor and advisor to the director of the The Institute for Israeli Art, focusing on branding, concept development, marketing, community building, and communications. As an independent curator, she has curated exhibitions in display spaces across Haifa, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv, as well as a research-based exhibition at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art in 2025.

Her work focuses on the research of Israeli art and the integration of Israeli art history with contemporary art. This is reflected in her journalistic, curatorial, and academic writing, as well as her efforts to make art accessible to broad audiences through art tours and lectures on Israeli art history.