על פי הר געש – קבוצתית

Volcano's Edge

Ein Hod Art Gallery
Curator: Zeela Kotler Hadari
Assistant Curator: Ruth Magid
September 20 – December 27, 2025

Participating Artists: Valentin a Brusilovskaya, Batya Grossbard, Sigalit Landau, Liat Livni, Noa Orlicky, Meir Pichhadze, Tom Pnini, Aviva Shemer, Sima Slonim, Limor Tsror, Yonatan Ullman, Yossi Waxman

The exhibition "At the Edge of a Volcano" unfolds around one of the most striking sites on the Carmel mountain ridge—the Tuff Nature Reserve near Kerem Maharal, which holds the remnants of a volcano that erupted beneath an ancient sea over a hundred million years ago. The reserve also exposes a reef of ancient fossilized sea snails and bivalves—testament to life that was simultaneously erased and preserved.

The reserve is characterized by volcanic tuff outcrops—dark slopes interlaced with calcite veins. The mountain’s peak was sheared off by the waves of that ancient sea, covered over time by light-colored chalk rocks which subsequently eroded. This erosion exposed the tuff layer visible today. Due to the high fragility of these black tuff outcrops, visitors to the reserve are strictly requested to remain on the marked trails.

A volcanic eruption is a defining, formative moment: a hidden process transpiring deep within the earth that suddenly bursts to the surface, transforming the landscape and altering both terrestrial and marine life. It embodies the inherent tension between stillness and eruption, between destruction and creation. Although there are no active volcanoes in Israel today, the volcanic imagery resonates deeply with the local reality: a life lived on fault lines—geological, political, and emotional—and a constant state of tension seeking an outlet.

As in nature, so too in art: the eruption, seemingly destructive, yields new and fertile ground, marking the potential for change, renewal, and creation out of crisis. The volcano becomes a double mirror: reflecting, on one hand, a primal, uncontrollable force of nature, and on the other, the social and psychological landscape of those living here.

Within this space, the exhibited works raise new questions: Sigalit Landau presents a print of a female torso where the volcanic eruption transforms into a source of life. Ruth Lauer and Natalie Apriat merge body and landscape in a series of photographs taken on the slopes of the Tuff Reserve, in which the faceless body assimilates into the volcanic terrain.

The surrealist motif of the egg—a source of life and the potential for birth—manifests in Valentin a Brusilovskaya’s sculpture and Meir Pichhadze’s painting. Limor Tsror creates volcanic craters, one dormant and the other active, serving as a perpetual reminder of imminent eruption. Tom Pnini contextualizes the eruption as a commonplace occurrence within daily life in Israel—an active volcano towers over a typical Jerusalem building, while waves threaten to flood Tel Aviv in a lava-tsunami.

The works of Liat Livni, crafted from paper, veneer, and sand, soften the raw power of the volcano, offering an intimate perspective on nature’s forces, stripped of terror. Noa Orlicky blurs the line between "real" fossils and fossil-sculptures, questioning origins and the remnants of life. Yonatan Ullman depicts the moment of eruption as an extended, slow process composed of multiple geological layers, forging itself as an act of both art and creation.

Aviva Shemer’s pieces remind us that the lava still bubbles beneath our feet—here and now—continuing to echo the volcanic voice as a metaphor for life in this place. Conversely, Yossi Waxman leads us into the darkness that follows the eruption through a series of forest animal paintings, positioning humanity in a wild world where one must begin anew.

Also featured within the exhibition cluster "At the Edge of a Volcano": the duo exhibition "Sea Breeze and Two Moons: Daniela Turgeman and Lazar Manola", the exhibition "A Chair in the Landscape: Ein Hod Artists", the duo exhibition "Third Eye: Tzuri Bar Yehuda and Amber Ra Shefa", and the special project "Broken Houses" by artist Geffen Barkal Shapira.

Special Exhibition Event
On Saturday, November 22, 2025, the exhibition hosted a performance of the dance piece "Twilight: Sword, Bow, and Body", featuring four dancers, a musician, and a sword. The piece was created inspired by the exhibition and specifically tailored for the gallery space.

Choreography: Natalie Afriat | Performers: Reut Gez, Sivan Moran, Kerem Shemi | Music: Suf Nikritin.

The piece consists of three seamlessly continuous acts moving from the gallery courtyard into the gallery space, with the audience moving alongside the performers:

Combat Calligraphy: A sword cuts through space with focused, deliberate movement.
Vibrating Silence: The tension in the aftermath of an eruption; a body poised on earth that remembers.
Living Testimony: A fragment of a human landscape; creation emerging from eruption and turmoil.

Installation Photography: Raanan Tal
"Twilight" Performance Photography: Ad Rovner