A chance encounter in Switzerland between two Israeli hikers – Oree Holban (artist) and Ido Rosenthal (combat soldier and mountain climber) formed a connection between two seemingly different people. They connected for a moment in the way that two strangers may meet and become friendly, open, and close in a foreign country. Neither one could see into the future: no one could have known that Ido, a fighter from the elite Shaldag unit, praised for his bravery, nicknamed “Krido” (the contraction of “Crazy Ido”) by all who knew him, would be killed while defending Kibbutz Alumim against Hamas
terrorists on October 7, 2023.
Holban saw him as a sensitive, open person, with love of humanity and a thirst for life. They met when Oree was at a personal crossroads in his life and was searching for a spiritual path. The ease with which Holban saw him climb, without fear of losing his hold on the ground inspired him on his journey.
Equipped with tools of meditation and mindfulness, which Holban acquired since the encounter in Switzerland, the exhibition became a place beckoning to process the experience of crisis and destruction, but also as finding peacefulness within the eye of the storm. It is a kind of secret hideaway with an almost impossible combination of the pastoral Alpine hike, Indian meditation caves, and the landscapes of the Gaza Envelope.
Holban wrapped the exhibition space with carpets and vibrant felt fabrics to create an environment comprising colorful cutouts, neon lights, toys, music, climbing walls, meditation caves, a bridge, a river, a cable car and a small mountain. This sensory-rich environment brings to mind a Snoezelen room – a controlled multi-sensory environment designed to treat anxieties,
as well as physical and emotional pain. In our current reality, all of us are
seeking a shelter where we can observe the threatened places in the mind and find powers of compassion, selfless giving, and healing.
Holban’s hybridization of autobiographical materials and public traumatic
events has been translated into a carnivalesque exhibition bursting with its overflowing images and happenings. “Mt. Krazy” invites visitors to recognize the fragility of life, while acknowledging the suffering, the truth, and the beauty comprised within.
Monica Lavi, Exhibition Curator
