On June 26, the opening of the exhibition titled "Where Home Is" took place at the Taras Shevchenko National Museum in Kyiv. The event was dedicated to the work of Zoya Sever — an Israeli artist born in Lviv. The exhibition was organized with the support of the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine.
Zoya Sever moved to Israel at the age of 16 with her parents. Today, she lives and works in Tel Aviv. The artist graduated from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, obtaining a qualification as an architect. Her works are featured in museums and private collections around the world: in Israel, Ukraine, the USA, Canada, Spain, France, Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Australia, the Netherlands, and Kazakhstan.
Art and Volunteering
Following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zoya Sever actively engaged in volunteer activities. She participated in creating a group that supplies protective gear to the fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The artist is also the founder of the "United People of the Planet" foundation. Within the framework of this foundation, the "Window to the World" project is being implemented, during which Zoya Sever paints the walls of bomb shelters together with children. Additionally, she works as an instructor for the "Trauma Coalition" in Ukraine.
The Atmosphere of Home in Bright Colors
The exhibition features paintings executed in the technique of bright oil and acrylic colors. Each work is an impression or a memory that conveys the atmosphere and magic of the city. According to a representative of the embassy's press service, Israel has become a point of support, a Home, for Jews, which needed to be reclaimed and restored. The land bought from strangers, watered with the blood of defenders, sown with the bones of pioneers — it is precisely such images that inspired the artist.
The exhibition "Where Home Is" reminds us of a place that gives strength to live, a place one wants to return to. A home that returns in dreams, again and again. As Michael Brodsky, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Israel, noted while opening the exhibition: "Zoya Sever shows Israel as we know and love it — bright, colorful, warm, and cheerful".
A Pause in the Whirlwind of Events
The embassy's press service emphasized that in conditions of global turbulence, people often lack the opportunity to stop, reflect, and remember why they are moving forward. "Sunny mornings. Colorful cities. A morning cup of coffee on the table. The joy of being in a place where you feel strong. Where Home Is. Zoya Sever's exhibition is such a pause," the organizers said.
Each painting by Zoya Sever has its own unique atmosphere. It is a moment of truth that seems banal until one has gone through despair and gloom, destruction and loss, superhuman strain, and the bustle of efforts. Only then do you realize its cost. Like a childhood postcard signed for grandmother on her birthday: "Wishing a peaceful sky, happiness and well-being, love and harmony". A peaceful sky...
The exhibition unites Ukrainians and Israelis, warriors and artists, dreamers and pragmatists. Ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Those who stand on the brink for their own Home. Ambassador Brodsky assured: "I advise everyone to visit this exhibition and feel the atmosphere of Israel".