The Tel Aviv Biennale of Craft & Design 2026: “Works and Days”
The Tel Aviv Biennale of Craft & Design, inaugurated at MUZA, Eretz Israel Museum in 2020, seeks to present an up-to-date picture of the dynamic contemporary craft and design scene in Israel.
The Biennale is a natural continuation of the museum’s longstanding commitment to local material culture. Through its multidisciplinary approach, the Biennale fosters an interdisciplinary dialogue, merging material languages and mediums and exploring new pathways for navigating our rapidly changing world.
The 2026 Tel Aviv Biennale of Craft & Design, the Biennale’s third edition, seeks to present craft and design as a dynamic, social and communal life force. Since the last Biennale, Israeli society has experienced one of the biggest and most dramatic upheavals it has ever known. The second biennale, titled What Is the Measure of Man, explored questions about humanity, ethics and creativity, which have now shifted to an examination of existential questions. Such questions, it seems, will be at the heart of every future biennale held in Israel after the current war. The upcoming edition of the Biennale will showcase works that respond to a new reality, in which the sense of urgency pervading the present moment is profoundly evident in both the creative process and the final outcomes. Additionally, the Biennale will explore how contemporary creativity reinterprets historical legacies through a dialogue between long-term material memory, as reflected in the museum’s collections, and the short-term physical memory of the present.
The 2026 Biennale’s title has been borrowed from the famous epic poem “Works and Days,” by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod (ca.700 BCE). Within this framework, the Biennale will explore the multifaceted dimensions of the concept of “work” – not only as labor and creation, but also as deed and action. This theme resonates deeply with our current reality, in which the weight of each and every day, hour, and minute underscores the urgency of the present moment.
In contrast to Homer’s great contemporaneous epics, the Iliad and Odyssey¬, which focus on bloody conflicts among mortals, heroes and gods, Hesiod reflects on peaceful and righteous existence, urging that honest labor is a force that sustains justice and harmony. In this poem, Hesiod distinguishes between two types of conflict: one that leads to destruction, and another that fosters effort and self-improvement. Critiquing corruption and hubris, which inevitably lead to downfall, Hesiod calls for virtues such as fairness, neighborliness, and generosity as essential for maintaining balance and harmony in society. A shepherd and poet, Hesiod provides practical and ethical advice to his wayward brother Perses, advising him how to lead a decent, just and wise life, showing reverence to the world around him. Hesiod’s teachings, interwoven with timeless myths like those of Prometheus, Pandora, and the gradual decline of humanity from the Golden Age to the current Iron Age, reveal enduring insights into universal truths and universal human experiences.
The great challenges we face today raise questions about the role of creativity in an ever-changing world. What priorities should we reconsider? Drawing on Hesiod’s reflections on the relationships among humans and between humans and nature, and on the eternal issues he raises in his poem, the Biennale explores creative acts as a healing, liberating force that offers a vision and harbors potential for new beginnings.
Through a dialogue between ancient knowledge and wisdom and contemporary craft and design, the third Biennale will engage with questions including:
Creation as a Work of Art
Hesiod’s esteem for labor and the arts may be extended to the creative fields of craft and design, which embody the skill and effort involved in creating “artifacts and objects.” This emphasis reflects the intimate connection between creative individuals and their mediums of expression, and the importance of the process as integral to the final work.
The Seasons of Creation
Echoing the agricultural cycles highlighted in Hesiod’s poem, the creative process is seen as a continuous journey, in which each step builds upon the previous one. Attunement to the environment, rhythms, and context is essential, with the final creation reflecting the entirety of this creative cycle.
Creation, Sustainability and Nature
Hesiod’s call for harmony with nature is reflected in works that use sustainable materials and practices. A return to traditional methods that respect ecological balance, recognizing nature as a vital part of the creative process, is at the heart of these creations. The values of creativity, sustainability, and ecological balance will be expressed through various activities involving audience participation, which will take place throughout the months of the Biennale at the Jack Joseph and Morton Mendel Park (“Bustan”) – a newly inaugurated public park that enhances the museum’s role as a cultural and social institution integrated into urban life.
Creation, Justice and Fairness
The moral responsibility involved in labor, which is emphasized by Hesiod, also informs the Biennale’s interest in works that promote social and environmental values through ethical sourcing, sustainable production, and fair practices.
Creation as Text
Like Hesiod’s poem, which blends practical advice with myths and personal stories, every object or design carries within it personal and collective narratives. Craft and design can equally be seen as visual and material languages that engage in a dialogue between tradition and the present, as well as between the creation and the viewer.
Creation, Community and Partnership
Inspired by the social aspects of Hesiod’s poem, the Biennale will showcase joint or collective projects that highlight the power of collaboration, joint learning and synergy across disciplines, by incorporating multiple perspectives, materials, and technologies.
Creation and Labor as Resistance
In line with Hesiod’s belief in the individual’s power to shape their own destiny, the Biennale will explore how contemporary craft and design engage with the challenges of the present. Today’s designers and craft practitioners harness their skills and creativity to design the environments we live in, as well as aspects of life itself. Through their work, they attempt to influence complex realities, confront current challenges, and ultimately shape the future.
BIENNALE STRUCTURE
The Biennale will be held over a period of eight months, March 2026 — November 2026.
The Biennale will be structured into several chapters displayed in various exhibition spaces including the Rothschild Center, the permanent collections pavilions, the Migdal Gallery and the MUZA Park (Bustan).
The Biennale will be accompanied by collateral events such as workshops, lectures, gallery talks, meetings with artists, multidisciplinary events, shows, an international conference, a catalogue of articles, a blog, and an audio guide.
The Biennale aims to broaden and deepen the discourse around the meaning and role of these creative fields, with an emphasis on materiality, concept and message, work processes and creative practices, preservation and renewal of traditions, and cultural continuity. The Biennale’s multilayered, diverse, and dynamic structure will present new directions developing in the local scene, encouraging reflection on the goals, consequences, and potential impact of these areas of creation on our lives.
Ami Katz, CEO of MUZA
Raz Samira, Deputy Director and Chief Curator of MUZA
Chief curators of the 2026 Tel Aviv Biennale of Craft and Design: Henrietta Eliezer Brunner, Galit Gaon
Applications
Last date for submissions: Midnight on Saturday, March 15, 2025. No applications will be accepted after this date.
The final list of participating works will be selected by a professional jury composed of leading figures from the world of craft and design.
Eligibility Requirements
Only proposals that are submitted in their entirety will be considered, according to the following requirements:
- Submissions are open to applicants whose center of activity is Israel
- Participation is open to works/projects made on or after January 1, 2022
- It is possible to apply as an individual, as a duo or as part of a group (three or more creators)
- Submissions in each category may include only one work/project, which was not submitted to any of the previous Biennales
- The proposals must be clear, including an accompanying text that explains the idea of the work, detailed sketches, simulations or drawings, techniques, materials and any accompanying material that can elucidate the proposal, its execution and the requirements for its situation in space
- Priority will be given to existing works that have not yet been presented
- It will not be possible to submit work created within the framework of a student program, with the exception of academic graduation projects. Submission of suc
Submission forms (in Hebrew only)
We invite creators from the fields of craft, design, architecture, visual arts, and visual communication to submit proposals in one of the following three categories:
- Individual submissions at this link
- Duo and/or Group (collective) submissions at this link
For questions and inquiries, you may contact the coordinator of the Biennale Fady Far by e-mail at the address: [email protected]
The museum will offer an artist’s fee of NIS 1,000 (including VAT) for each work chosen to participate in the Biennale
Applicants with disabilities who require assistance with filling out the digital application form may receive personal assistance from the Biennale coordinator; please contact us by email: [email protected] or by phone: 03-7455719.