The painting "Curving Road," created by artist Ziva Jelin, the curator and manager of the art gallery of Kibbutz Be'eri, was removed from her studio in the kibbutz after being hit by shrapnel and is now featured in the permanent display of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
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The painting, entirely in red and measuring about two meters, was created in 2010. When Jelin, a member of Kibbutz Be'eri, painted this work, she couldn't have anticipated what would happen 13 years later on October 7 when Hamas carried out a massacre in the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip, murdering 85 of her fellow kibbutz members, and taking 25 of them hostage to Gaza.
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Ziva Jelin next to her painting "Twisting Road" in the Israel Museum
(Photo: Israel Museum)
"In my paintings, depicting Be'eri then and now, with my distinctive style of red and drips, a new dimension has now been added," says Jelin. "My studio is located on the edge of the residential neighborhood that terrorists entered, where they murdered members of the kibbutz and abducted others. This battle happened right beneath my studio, which suffered the impact of shrapnel and bullets penetrating through the windows and walls. It adds another layer of meaning to the artworks; it's quite chilling."
In the painting, two white dots are now visible, reminiscent of shrapnel that entered the gallery and also affected the artwork. "Of course, today, when someone comes and sees these paintings from Be'eri that I've been painting for years, in red, they immediately connect it to the 'red alert' sirens, fires, massacres, blood and war," adds Jelin. "I respect anyone who sees them and understands it in this way."
The museum's director, Suzanne Landau, said the museum wants to show support for Israel's south. "Our hearts ache with the pain of the families of the abducted and murdered. In these difficult days, our mission at the Israel Museum is to express support for the residents of Be'eri and the southern communities, to strengthen Israeli artists, and to emphasize the role of culture and art as a refuge, support, and source of inspiration for the spirit and soul."