Avinadav Begin, grandson of former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, is currently exhibiting his latest abstract metal and steel works at Sheetrit & Wolf Contemporary Art Gallery in Tel Aviv. The pieces, which he describes as “openings, apertures,” are neither paintings nor sculptures but heavy hybrid forms weighing up to 220 pounds, resembling rubble and broken window frames. In interviews, Begin has emphasized his identity as an artist rather than a politician, distancing himself from the current Likud party leadership under Benjamin Netanyahu, while acknowledging the influence of the ongoing war and hostage crisis on his work.
This exhibition matters because it represents a rare intersection of Israeli political legacy and contemporary visual art, with the artist openly grappling with national trauma, the hostage situation, and the Gaza conflict through his creative output. Begin’s participation in weekly protests for the hostages’ return and his comments on the “gaping distance” between his grandfather’s Likud and today’s party add a charged political dimension to the show. The article also highlights how art can serve as a vehicle for processing collective grief and political dissent in a deeply polarized society.