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Spring 2025
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(RE)Defining Zionism
Shlomit Levy Bard
Monday, April 7, 2025
Gindi Gallery
About the work:
Zionism at its core refers to the Jewish national movement, but interpretations vary widely. In the wake of October 7, particularly on U.S. college campuses including UCLA, the term has increasingly become weaponized by those with extreme ideologies, antisemitic intentions, or ambitions to deny Israel’s right to exist. This project invites subjects and viewers to explore their understanding of Zionism through photographic portraits and interviews with people living in Israel. Shlomit traveled throughout Israel—from Haifa to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beersheva, and the Gaza border—meeting people of all ages, and representing a wide range of religious, ideological, and cultural backgrounds and beliefs. The imagery and text of those she met reveal a striking diversity of perspectives even within Israel, and challenge viewers to wrestle with their preconceived understanding of Zionism. Driven by empathy and curiosity, the work explores the complexities of this issue through the lens of the artist’s own dual cultural experience, resulting in soulful portraits that reflect the interplay between personal and collective identities.
Artist Bio
Shlomit Levy Bard emigrated to Los Angeles from Israel at a young age, carrying a deep connection to her homeland. After graduating magna cum laude in Political Science from UCLA, she began her photography career as a photojournalist. She worked for organizations including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and the Associated Press. During that time, she earned multiple awards from the National Press Photographers Association and Women in Photojournalism. Her work has been shown in numerous juried exhibits and collected privately. Founding Studio SLB Photography in 2008, Shlomit expanded her artistic practice to include a diverse range of commissioned work for hundreds of families and individuals globally. Now, she returns to her early passion for documentary portraiture, capturing images that reflect the authentic complexity of her subjects. Known for her intuitive approach, Shlomit brings warmth and empathy to her craft, creating images that transcend the physical form to reveal a profound sense of presence and connection.
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Student Fine Art Contest 2025
Hillel at UCLA will be having the Student Fine Art show opening in the Spring quarter of 2025. We invite all undergraduate students to participate in the contest and share their beautiful ideas and artistic work with Hillel and the public. We want students to have the liberty to create anything possible with their imagination so submissions can be anything. *No nudity* In previous years, we received paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, even collages, and strange and exotic pieces of work, and many more so we encourage students to get creative and get motivated! We will be giving out prizes to the winning students.
"The Phylliss and Lou Mann Prize for Excellence in the Arts at UCLA Hillel"
1st prize: $1000
2nd prize: $500
Student submissions will be received at the front desk of Hillel, 574 Hilgard Ave, in care of Perla Karney
The curator will make final selections.
Contact Perla for additional information:
[email protected] | (310) 208-3081 Ext. 108
Generously funded by Mindy and Robert Mann & the Stratton-Petit Foundation
Exhibit ends Friday, June 13th
STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2025
Requirements:
- 8x10 B&W or Color Image
- Must be printed on photo paper
- Include name, email, phone on the back of each photo
Contact:
Perla Karney, Artistic Director Dortort Center for Creativity in the Arts 310-203-3081
ext.108
[email protected]The Photo Contest is Generously Underwritten by The Pamela and Randol Schoenberg Foundation
Exhibit ends Friday, June 13th
Land of Miracles
Wendy Lamm
Staircase
FALL 2025
Jerusalem Art Biennale
Thursday, October 23rd, 2025, 7:00-9:00 PM
The Jerusalem Biennale is the largest platform in the world for contemporary Jewish and Israeli art.
Founded in 2013 by Ram (Rami) Ozeri, The Jerusalem Biennale is dedicated to exploring the places where contemporary art meets the Jewish and Israeli experience.
It is a grand stage for contemporary artists who reference Jewish and Israeli thought, spirit, tradition, or experience in their work to exhibit their work in Jerusalem.
We are committed to showcasing thought-provoking and soul-inspiring exhibitions and events, and invite you to explore the art and ideas that speak to exactly now.
To learn more about the Jerusalem Art Biennale, Click here
Against All Odds
Gabriella Karin
Thursday, October 23rd, 7-9 PM
Gindi Gallery
By Professor Ken Calvin, Art Critic
Whimsy and realism are prevalent in the sensitive small sculptures of Gabriella Karin. The viewer is drawn into layers of meaning, nuance and emotion that reflect her career in fashion design and a childhood of surviving the Nazi Holocaust. To fully understand the meaning of her sculptures is an extraordinary experience.
Gabriella Karin’s work mixes impish humor, tragic directness, subtle estheticism, child honesty, and loving, forgiving acceptance of the human condition. These qualities are present in three general categories of her work.
First, Gabriella Karin is drawn to dark flowing exotic figures that suggest the image of the universal feminine in us all. Featureless stones form the hooded heads atop mysterious figures in abundant flowing gowns. These slight figures are simple, straightforward, minimalistic, slightly erotic and haunting.
A second group of work focuses on Gabriella Karin’s effort to recapture her childhood stolen by Nazis, when her family spent 24 hours every day for years in small hidden rooms in her Slovakian homeland. One is reminded of parallels of the experiences of Anne Frank. Remarkably she has clearly succeeded in creating cheerful, coy, relaxed and loving images of children at play. One wants to join them.
Her third group of work is larger and more complex, She depicts actual scenes from her memories of cruel soldiers, starving prisoners and stark reflections of the horror that history and circumstances forced her to witness. There is no anger, bitterness or revenge motivating this powerful work. Its strengths is in its compelling honesty against a strong implication of hope that unjust persecution and cruelty will end for all of us for all time.
One senses Gabriella Karin will, in time, transcend her heavier, sadder work for brighter, more playful images that she seems to enjoy so much. The twinkle in her eye and the strength behind her pleasant demeanor make one believe that she will neither forget the past, nor be held by it.
Like many of us, it appears Gabriella Karin is drawn by power of her own images of children at play and the clear belief they will grow up in a better world than she did.
This exhibit will run through Friday, December 12th
For questions, please contact Perla Karney at 310-208-3081 x108 or [email protected]