Belu-Simion Fainaru

An artist, curator, and cultural entrepreneur born in Romania, Belu-Simion Fainaru established his artistic practice in contemporary art before settling in Haifa, Israel. His career spans major international exhibitions, including Documenta IX in Kassel and the 58th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2019, where he represented Romania—an important milestone that strengthened his standing as a conceptually driven artist.

Fainaru's work has been shown in leading museums and international exhibitions worldwide. His artistic practice consistently explores complex ideas drawn from philosophical and mystical traditions, translating abstract concepts into immersive sculptural and installation-based experiences.

A key highlight of his career is receiving the Israel Prize, a testament to his substantial contributions to the arts. This national honour underscores his standing as a prominent figure in Israeli contemporary art, further cementing his influence and reinforcing his recognition within the international art world.

Fainaru works at the intersection of art, philosophy, and social engagement. His practice addresses themes of identity, memory, history, and territory, fostering dialogue between the private and the collective, the local and the global. Drawing on Kabbalistic thought, he delves into questions of existence, belonging, alienation, and the boundaries shaping contemporary life.

Fainaru is the founder of the Mediterranean Biennale, a platform that promotes dialogue between communities in conflict, alongside educational initiatives that bring young people from diverse ethnic backgrounds together. Since 2008, he has served as the founder, director, and chief curator of the Mediterranean Biennale of Contemporary Art in Israel. In this capacity, together with Avital Bar-Shay, he has led the Encounters program—an educational initiative employing art as a tool for fostering dialogue between communities. The program is based on meetings between Jewish and Arab (Muslim, Christian, Druze, and Bedouin) youth, teachers, and educators, held in communities representing a wide range of religions and cultures.

In 2015, he founded AMOCA—the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sakhnin—an institution dedicated to fostering coexistence between Arab and Jewish communities through inclusive, collaborative, and socially engaged artistic practices.

His work introduces a novel approach, using artistic activity to foster human dialogue and coexistence among communities living in conflict. It promotes peace education, tolerance, and non-violence. Through art education, these initiatives aim to transcend regional politics and disputes by emphasising artistic creation and universal human values, grounded in vision and mutual respect, with the hope of achieving peaceful coexistence and a better future for all.

He presented numerous solo exhibitions at leading venues worldwide, including the Israel Museum, Jerusalem; SMAK, Ghent; M HKA, Antwerp; the Museum of Modern Art, Brussels; Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg; the Modern Art Museum, Saitama, Japan.


Academic Activity

Belu-Simion Fainaru is a professor at the University of Haifa, where the student body includes both Arab and Jewish students. In this capacity, he actively implements and teaches the Space for Change program—a unique intercultural educational art initiative that brings together Jewish and Arab students through art as a shared language—within an academic setting. In collaboration with the University's Rector, Prof. Mouna Maroun, he has also extended the program beyond the campus to engage Jewish and Arab youth, creating shared spaces for dialogue, creativity, and meaningful intercultural exchange.

The program provides a safe, open environment free of prejudice and fear, fostering mutual understanding, cooperation, and respect. Through art workshops, study sessions, and collaborative activities, students deepen their awareness of cultural diversity and heritage within a multicultural society. The program emphasises the role of art as a powerful means of expressing identity, promoting human rights, combating racism, and strengthening democratic values, laying the ground for sustainable coexistence based on equality, tolerance, and shared human values.

Photo: Florin Stefan


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