"Desktop" - a new exhibition at the Haifa Museum of Art: 33 artists and designers present approximately 70 works, which express the ways in which the digital world takes on a reality in the physical world.
Opening of the Desktop Exhibition – Yotam Yakir, CEO of Haifa Museums:
On April 3, 2025, the Haifa Museum of Art will open the new group exhibition Workbench: A Physical Exhibition on the Digital Age. Curated by Yuval Saar, the first of its kind in Israel, the exhibition features 33 artists from the fields of plastic arts, photography, design, fashion, animation, illustration, and architecture. Most of them have created new works for the exhibition, which express the ways in which modes of thought, ideas, concepts, and tools from the digital world take on substance in the physical world and structure material creation.
The digital workspace
Most of the artists and designers participating in the exhibition are in their 30s and have grown up in the digital age. For them, a desk is not a physical table, but a desktop, a concept that first found virtual expression about 50 years ago when it became the common name for the digital workspace. Their works explore what happens when the aesthetics of the digital world encounter physical limitations, people, material, and lack of control, and what it means to make technology an inseparable part of our bodies and who we are.
According to Yuval Saar, the exhibition's curator: "When we say 'I don't have a battery,' 'I don't have reception,' or 'I'm on silent,' it's not really us, but the phone that has no reception or is on silent. The disappearance of the boundaries between the physical world and the digital space, and the assimilation of technology into us and our daily lives, engages creators in a wide range of techniques, mediums, and modes of expression. This is not an external view of the digital world, but a view that comes from within it, and reflects a particularly interesting moment, when, at a time when threats are being made about artificial intelligence taking over entire worlds of action and creation, it is precisely the human touch and its connection to technology that creates poetic and inspiring moments."
Among the prominent projects that will be presented at the exhibition:
- “Thank you for coming, stay forever” – a mixed media installation created by Roy Cohen especially for the exhibition. The prevailing perception of the digital world tends to associate it with virtual concepts, but in reality, behind every cloud stand server farms that occupy a large physical space, housing physical objects, and these create noise and emit heat, which requires massive cooling. Cohen built the museum’s “server farm” in a separate space, with physical elements, such as wind, sound, and cold, that are at the center of the experience he created. Dozens of fans will operate in a way that the viewer will not be able to anticipate, generating sound and wind in the space, which seems beyond the visitor’s reach and control.
Roy Cohen's installation is the first work in the "Ruth and Andrew Suzman Project" at the Haifa Museum of Art, a project designed to encourage original work by Israeli artists. Ruth Suzman, the project's initiator: "I visited the Haifa Museum of Art and was moved by the sincere commitment to commission and exhibit new works by Israeli artists, which places the museum at the heart of Israeli creativity. My husband Andrew and I believe in the duty to support artists on their creative path, and are pleased to inaugurate a joint project with the museum, the essence of which is to provide annual sponsorship for a large-scale project by Israeli artists. The Haifa Museum of Art, which is undergoing significant change, is in our opinion the perfect place for a project that substantially advances the careers of leading Israeli artists." - "AI Relationships" – In this project, the creators, Yoash Peldash and Adi Manko Fleischer, from artificial intelligence, sought to invent words for the new emotions that arise as a result of the interaction between humans and artificial intelligence: from the affection that arises towards the mistakes of artificial intelligence, to the feeling of guilt that attacks us when our connection with intelligence overshadows our relationships with human partners. They explain these emotions to the audience through videos that were also made using artificial intelligence. They shed light on a new phenomenon: a new human emotional world created by the encounter with an intelligent machine.
- "Human Resources" – "Human Resources" – Shahar Kaminitz wrote the book "Human Resources" in 2023, which centers on a high-tech entrepreneur who establishes a startup that aims to decipher the human soul with artificial intelligence tools using the best of world literature. The book is divided into eight chapters, each chapter centered on one character. Eight illustrators, both male and female, immersed in the worlds of high-tech and technology, responded to the museum's invitation to create new works inspired by the book, the character, and their personal experiences, in a way that challenges the illustrative format – in two dimensions and three dimensions.
- "Eternities" – Amit Berman created a series of oil paintings on canvas, depicting the boundaries between the physical and the digital within the home and intimate space, as he sits in the living room, mobile phone in hand; stands naked in front of the mirror, examining his body and taking a selfie; or looks at a vase of flowers on the iPad screen.
- "Typing..." – Eden Zornitzer, a graduate of the Edmond de Rothschild Center's professional network, created a series of intimate portrait photographs for the exhibition that depict queer individuals using mobile phones and highlights the way technology influences the creation of cross-border virtual spaces.
According to Dr. Kobi Ben-Meir, Chief Curator of the Haifa Museum of Art:
The Haifa Museum of Art continues to adhere to a deep commitment to supporting local artists and creators, and for this exhibition we have commissioned dozens of new projects that are being shown for the first time. In this particularly complex period, also in terms of budget, we are making a special effort to continue to allow artists to create, and to be a platform that not only summarizes what has been done so far, but also enables the exhibition of new works. We sincerely thank our partners in the journey, who made it possible for these works to come into the world: the Edmond de Rothschild Center, which supported its seven excellent alumni, and Ruth and Andrew Susman (New York), whose generous sponsorship made Roy Cohen's complex work possible.
The Edmond de Rothschild Center, founded by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, works to promote creative professionals from the moment they graduate from their academic studies in the fields of art and design in Israel. The center's activities focus on providing tools, developing professional skills for creative professionals, participating in exhibitions, collaborating, and providing personal guidance.
The exhibition features the work of members of the Edmond de Rothschild Center Network, graduates of the center's professional development program. The exhibition was also made possible thanks to the contributions of the Shusterman Israel Foundation and the Tambor Group.
The names of the artists participating in the exhibition: Or Drori, Or Yogev, Isabella Wolovnik, Ilanit Shmia, Eli Babejanov, Anil Rinat, Assaf Alkalai, Ariel HaCohen, Arik Lerner, Ben Ribek, Dana Tannhauser, Chen Wiener, Teddy Cohen, Tal Maslavi, Yoav Fish, Yoash Peldash, Jonathan Popper, Yam (Yambo) Ben Adiva, Yarden Hanuka, Mark Yashayev, Noa Segal, Neta Geta, Neta Moses, Sophie Abu Shakra, Simon Berzin, Adi Manko Fleischer, Eden Zornitzer, Eden Fucsignano, Amit Berman, Inbal Geri, Roy Cohen, Tam Kariv, Tamar Degani.
- Exhibition closing date: 3.1.26
- Opening days and hours (subject to change on holidays):
- Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday - 10:00-16:00
- Monday - closed
- Thursday – 10:00-18:00
- Friday - 10: 00-14: 00