Israel’s Post-October 7 Art Scene By Art Up Nation On Display In NYC

Earlier this month, a unique week-long pop-up art exhibition opened in New York City, showcasing over 200 curated Israeli artworks created in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks. 

A group of volunteers came together to organize the project shortly after the attacks, which left over 1,200 people dead and more than 300 abducted to Gaza. The goal of the project was to allow art to act as a healing tool.

The inaugural Art Up Nation exhibition was also intended to boost the Israeli art scene, which has been devastated over the past year.

The exhibition featured one-of-a-kind works from more than 70 Israeli artists. Some of the 1,500 people who visited the exhibit purchased at least 153 pieces of art, worth over $500,000 in total. The money from the sales went directly to the artists.

Keren Bar-Gil, Art Up Nation’s curator, tells ISRAEL21c that the exhibition’s aim “was to bring the best of the Israel art scene into the heart of NYC and to focus on young, emerging as well as established artists.”

“Art Up Nation is about connection,” adds Shirlee Klein, a member of the Art Up Nation Host Committee.

“Our primary goals were to ensure 100 percent of art sales are directed to Israeli artists, to create a platform for Israeli artists in North America, and to create bridges for personal and professional encounters.”

The project was sponsored by a group of philanthropic donors, including Karen W. Davidson, the Paul E. Singer Foundation, Shari and Jeff Aronson, Debra Fine and Marty Schneider, the Kirsh Foundation, and Israel’s flag carrier El Al Airlines, which transported all the artworks from Israel to New York.

Simon Newton-Smith, EL AL’s Senior Vice President of the Americas, said the partnership “underscores EL AL’s commitment to fostering cultural exchange and supporting the global arts community by enabling these talented artists to present their work on an international stage.”

Produced in association with ISRAEL21c