Oree Holban Wins the Ilana Elovic – Bezalel Prize for Excellence in the Arts 2017

Oree Holban Wins the Ilana Elovic – Bezalel Prize for Excellence in the Arts 2017

Dr. Eugene Elovic and his family, together with the Bezalel Academy, announce the decision to award this prize in the field of the arts to Israeli artist Oree Holban.
Oree Holban graduated with distinction from Bezalel’s Department of Fine Arts (2010). He obtained a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara, after having received a Fulbright Scholarship (2015).
During his studies in California, he continued to develop and to create the visual worlds that he had already began to explore during his studies at Bezalel. Colorful and musical neon structures that are escapist in character – in the spirit of the Fifties in the U.S. – fantasies, toying with gender, and more.
Oree’s work has been presented at exhibitions in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Berlin, Zurich, Krakow, New York, Denver, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
At present, Oree plans to continue producing art that reflects the realities of daily life in Israel, through the lens of the extensive experience that he gained in the U.S. He has connected with a number of artists who, together, are currently working on establishing “The Leviathan” – a cooperative art space that will be opening soon.
His aspirations include continuing to create and present art in Israel and abroad, and to initiate a variety of different and refreshing events – in addition to strengthening ties with artists in Israel and overseas.
Similarly, he is working on his first album of original songs, written in English, which reflect the visual life experiences that he creates.

The goal of the $7,000 prize is to promote and encourage artists who are graduates of Bezalel, in memory of Ilana Elovic. Fifty-seven graduates applied for the prize – eligibility for which was limited to artists who graduated from Bezalel within the last seven years, and who are active in the field of the arts and have an extensive portfolio.
Members of the Judging Committee:
The head of the committee is Eli Petel, Head of the Fine Arts Department at Bezalel.
Members of the committee include Anat Danon Sivan, Curator at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art; Professor Ido Bar-El; Yochai Avrahami; and Rami Maymon.