The Collapse of the Middle Class Painting

Hila Laiser-Beja is a multidisciplinary artist creating works of sculpture, painting, drawing, installation, video, and etching; as well as collaborating in the fields of choreography and dance. She holds diplomas in photography from the Camera Obscura School in Tel Aviv and in interior architecture from ORT Career College in Jerusalem. Laiser-Beja received her B.F.A in The department of fine arts & education for arts from Haifa University and her M.A. in Interdisciplinary Art from Tel Aviv University. For the last few years, Laiser-Beja's works have explored the image of the ‘Home’ and its perception in the Israeli and international cultural contexts. Her works deal with the place of the home as a domestic space in light of the national and symbolic home; a sheltered and personal space vs the society’s public image of it, a secluded sanctuary yet also acting as a limitation; an ideal but yet mundane habitat. The idea of home and house is expressed in her works not only through the image but also through materials: Laiser-Beja creates symbolic sculptural environments, composed of concrete and iron rods, typically used for building construction. In her creations, these materials are subjected to her private point of view in terms of form, concept and materiality. Along with her main focus, Laiser-Beja deals with the representation of women and their presence in desolate, abandoned, and often dangerous places. She examines the individual coping with the situations in which they are placed. Similarly, in her abstract video pieces, Laiser-Beja creates a continuous narrative relating to the connection between video, painting, static and motion; and also touches on social, political, and historical narratives; which are not classified under specific titles but rather allow the viewers to form their own associations. Laiser-Beja has exhibited her works in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including exhibitions in the Petah Tikva Museum of Art, the Ilana Goor Museum (Jaffa), the Artist's House (Tel Aviv), and the Suzanne Dellal Center (Tel Aviv). Her works are found in collections in Israel, Italy, England, and the United States.