Hopes Return
The World Is Big (2024)
The Lobby Art Space,, Tel Aviv
Curator: Orit Mor
At the gallery's entrance, a massive reception desk greets visitors. Behind it is a slender, scarecrow-like figure named "Artzi." His head is an inflatable globe, and his body is clad in an old-fashioned suit. Artzi stares at an old computer screen, looping episodes of the Israeli ‘90s television show Masa Olami (World’s Journey), hosted by Eyal Peled. The program features Peled’s visits to famous cities around the globe, exploring their diverse tourist attractions.
To the right is a panoramic photograph of a Tel Aviv sunset, the kind you will typically find in waiting rooms. To the left is a retro waiting sofa, on which large silver balloons form the sequence “2025”. These balloons, which celebrate the arrival of the new year, are filled with air rather than helium, causing them to sag onto the sofa. A closer look reveals that the number 5 is an inverted 2, and the reflection of numbers on the building’s glass at night creates a mirror image that spells "SOS".
Installation views by Tomer Fruchter & Ben Alon
︎︎︎ Video documentation
Artzi (2024)
mixed media
The View (2024)
Printed on Dibond, 150x60 cm
2025 (2024)
black leather couch, four silver balloons