WHAT LIES BENEATH | Ma'ayan

WHAT LIES BENEATH | Ma'ayan

Curator | Galit Zimbalist
Heichal Shlomo Museum, Jerusalem | 8 September–22 October 2026

The exhibition was originally scheduled for April 2026 and was postponed because of the war with Iran.

There are moments when a familiar path ends and the heart seeks a new way. The exhibition before you traces the footprints of such a journey, a delicate movement between the worlds Maayan has traversed: from the clamor of the advertising industry to the stillness of the studio, and from a secular life to the depths of spirit and tradition. This is a glimpse into an internal transformation that unfolded along two parallel paths, the creative and the spiritual, until they converted into a single artistic language. The meeting of these worlds was not a calculated choice but an organic growth of the heart; as the work became more personal and vulnerable, these two aspects of her life became an inseparable whole.

The creative shift was rooted in a pivotal decision to leave behind the security of a flourishing career and devote herself exclusively to art. This leap into the unknown required profound courage and absolute faith, proving to be a transformative force that opened a gateway to a new identity. Simultaneously, Maayan embarked on a journey of spiritual awakening, seeking to explore her roots as a Jewish woman. As she delved into the study of ancient sacred sources, she discovered a spirituality that transcends outward expression; one that strips away the external shell to reach the core of existence, a place of internal and external truth.

This deepening awareness began to permeate her artistic practice. During her studies in France, she was exposed to a discourse that focused less on technique and more on the creation of meaning, examining how structure, space, and time shape the artist’s voice. These experiences compelled her to explore the essence of her creation more deeply, documented in a personal journal that accompanies the exhibition, revealing moments of transition and search.

Ma'ayan’s artistic focus shifted toward the fleeting and the intangible, the moment within movement and the light emanating from within. Driven by a desire to reveal the soul of her subject, she strives to create an intimate, sensory dialogue between the work and the viewer.

We invite you to shed, for a moment, the external layers and linger before the light emerging from the material. Through this dual journey, both spiritual and creative, Maayan arrived at the understanding that true essence lies in the "Hidden Light"-

Or HaGanuz concealed beneath the surface—that hidden source and inner root from which all meaning and vitality flow.