Mashbir

2025 Solo Exhibition, Oman Gallery, Jerusalem. IL

Curator: Naama Arad | Photography: Elad Sarig 

The exhibition presents a selection of ceramic works by Israeli designer Avi Ben
Shoshan that navigate between sacred and secular, connecting the decorative
with the functional. By fusing motifs and symbols from local culture, Ben Shoshan
illuminates the inherent tension in Hebrew identity as it stretches between
the particular and the universal. Through his vibrant works, he articulates a
contemporary material language and identity that emerges from an exploration
of the past and connection to history.
Ben Shoshan often incorporates forms and imagery associated with building
the country. Alongside architectural structures and Hebrew typography, he
references organizations and institutions that shaped the distinctive visual
language developed in modern Israel. These include Boris Schatz’s “Bezalel”,
the ceramic factories “Lapid”, “Beit Hayotzer”, and “Naaman”, as well as other
companies, designers, and artists who have worked in the field over the years.
This exhibition takes its title from the “Hamashbir” department store chain,
established during World War I to support workers and settlers in the country.
The name references the biblical Joseph, who stored food during years of
abundance and later distributed it during times of famine and drought. Since
“mashbir” means to supply food, the works in this exhibition are displayed on
supermarket shelves.
Hebrew roots often express contradictory meanings. Beyond the idea of
purchasing and supplying food, the root S.B.R. also means to break or shatter.
Indeed, the sequence of events in recent years – from the COVID pandemic
to the October 7th attacks – has shattered many of the assumptions about
reality that we once held. Many Israeli artists have found themselves in social
and cultural isolation, with their international aspirations shattered, their focus
inevitably turned inward.
Many of the organizations and institutions Ben Shoshan references in his work
deliberately incorporated values and symbols from Jewish tradition, seeking to
create visual and cultural continuity between the people returning from exile and
their homeland. Today, this process remains incomplete, and Israel continues to
struggle to form its spiritual and cultural identity. Ben Shoshan’s works reflect
this ongoing process while celebrating the possibility of connection between
the disparate parts of current-day Israel.