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Ariel Bronz

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Ariel Bronz
Occupation(s)Director, artist, actor
Years active2011 - present
Websitehttps://www.arielbronz.com/about

Ariel Bronz is a theatre creator, performance artist, poet, playwright, actor, and activist born in Ukraine, living in Tel Aviv.

He is the author of more than 40 stage and site specific performances and is a recipient of the 2018 Rosenblum Prize[1] for Performing Arts, despite the objections of the Israeli Minister of Culture.[2]

His wide range of works quickly gained him public and critical acclaim, making him one of the most controversial artists in Israel today.[3] These performances are known to immediately make waves, with some reaching cult status.[4] His plays have been presented in various theaters in Israel and around the world.

Since 2015, he has been the house director of Clipa Theatre and a theatre instructor at Nissan Nativ Acting Studio.[5]

Works

In his work, Bronz tackles complex social-political topics and issues that tend to be repressed in society. His targets of criticism vary from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands to its inevitable results: militarism, violence, conservatism, and racism.

He exploits elements from pop culture, trash, mainstream media, and theatre to make his harsh message possible to swallow. Abounding with images, symbols, taboos, and cliches, his art creates a synthesis between reality being an absurd scenario and the most exaggerated fiction as a possible and even probable reality.[6][7]

Bronz’s works are characterized by a constant examination of boundaries: he gleefully crosses the boundaries of good taste and uses artistic traps and provocations to shake the audience out of its apathy.[8]

Controversies

The Flag

In 2016, Bronz was invited by Haaretz to perform at the Tel Aviv Museum as part of his show "Love the Juice"[9] at the "Israel Conference for Culture," both addressing freedom of speech. The audience, who didn't understand the satirical nature of the show, became angry—disrupting and trying to cut short the performance. Trying to control the turmoil, the organizers and security stepped in, attempting to stop the show by turning off the lights and sound[10] and removing the set. Bronz refused to stop the performance before its proper ending, and at the last moment, understanding that the organizers who had invited him and the raging audience would not let him finish his performance, he grabbed the national flag (part of the set, appeared white on camera) and stuck it in his bottom.[11] The action infuriated the audience, and Bronz was escorted out by security.[12]

This act made headlines all over the world, led to harsh comments from right-wing figures, and resulted in threats to his and his family's lives. He received a police complaint filed by the Culture Minister's office[13] and was accused of harming national symbols, public indecency, and disturbance of public order. For years following the incident, Bronz was isolated from the local art scene and was treated as persona non grata. In his interrogation, Bronz claimed that the move was improvised, inspired by a Russian saying. In May 2020, the case was closed.[14]

Locked

Another performative act that made waves in the media and Israeli discourse is Bronz's "Locked" series. Between 2016-2020, on every Holocaust Memorial Day,[15] he would chain himself around the neck and hang himself from different national memorial monuments, in protest against the Israeli government ignoring Holocaust survivors' rights and occupying Palestinian lands.[16] This series of performances draws a straight line between two seemingly unrelated topics: the last Holocaust survivors being neglected in Israel and Palestinians being persecuted in their own land.[17]

Each one of these acts led to him being interrogated and arrested,[18] as well as receiving death threats. He was labeled by the Minister of Culture as a "symbol of slander" after receiving the Rosenblum Prize for his artistic practice from the Tel Aviv mayor in 2018.

Artistic Output

Performance
Year Name Place Role
2025 Cafeteria (Cheder Ochel) Ta Tarbut Da Vinci TLV Creator, writer, performer
2025 Locked -  a documentary musica Habait Theatre Writer, director
2025 House Manager (Av Bait) Habait Theatre Writer, director, performer
2024 Dirt Clipa Theatre Director
2024 Where’s the Money? Hahanut Theatre Creator, performer
2024 Black Snow Clipa Theatre Director
2023-2024 Beauty Tel Aviv Museum Writer
2023 What Do You Know (Ma at mevina) Clipa Theatre Creator, director, performer
2023 Kunts Gesher Theatre Writer, director
2023 Hey I Just Rapped a Girl A-Genre Festival, Tmuna Theatre Creator, performe
2022 Dieדי Clipa Theatre Creator, writer, director
2022 Guilty Pleasure Home Festival, Frankfurt History Museum Writer, director
2022 The Stars Fooled Me - a tribute show to Bialik Tel Aviv Culture Center Writer, performer
2021-2023 I Came, I Saw Tel Aviv Museum Creator, writer, co-director
2021 Dig It[8] Contempo Festival, Lithuania Creator, performer
2021 Interrogations Site specific Creator, performer
2020 The Venue will Shut (performativ act) Habima Theatre; Cameri Theatre; Beit Lessin Theatre; Gesher Theatre; The Israeli Opera; Clipa Theatre; Tmuna Theatre; Tzavta Theatre Creator, performer
2020 Frogs Clipa Theater Creator, performer
2020 G.U.IL.T Site specific Creator, performer
2020 Locked - a documentry musical Nissan Nativ Acting School, performed by 3rd year students.[19] Creator, director
2020 Culture Habima Square Creator
2020 Locking 5 (performative act) Yad Vashem Museum Creator, performer
2019 View Field[20] Israel Festival Co-director, writer
2019 Underworld Short Theater Festival Writer
2019 Locking 4

(performative act)

Habima Square Creator, performer
2018-2020 Midsummer Night's Dream IN SPACE[21] Clipa Theatre Director, creator
2018-2019 Me2much Diver Festivel, Clipa Theatre Creator, performer
2018 The Stranger Be'er Sheva Fringe Festival, The Negev Museum of Art Co-creator, performer
2018 All That Works Clipa Theatre Co-creator, performer
2018 Mature Audiences[22] Clipa Theatre Creator, writer, performer
2018 Locking 3

(performative act)

Holocaust memorial monument, Rabin Square Creator, performer
2017-2018 Someone’s Home[23] Bialik House Museum Co-director
2017 Locking 2 (performative act) The Knesset Lamp Monument Creator, performer
2016 Culture in the Periphery Tel Aviv-Yafo City Museum Creator, writer, performer
2016 Locking 1 (performative act) Office of the Foundation for Welfare of Holocaust Victims Creator, performer
2015-2017 LOVE the JUICE Clipa Theatre Creator, writer, performer
2015-2016 Facility 27[24] Tel Aviv-Yafo City Museum Co-creator, writer, performer
2014–present Who Wants to Ride a Camel ? Tour around the country; Germany, Brazil, Italy, Russia Creator, writer, performer
2014 Hate Arte Loving Art Festival, Gvirol Culture and Art Center, Creator, performe
2014 I am Daniil Kharms[25] Habait Theatre Writer
2013-2015 Pits[26] Tmuna Theatre; Habait Theatre; Stanislavski Theatre (Saint Petersburg) Writer, co-director
2013-2015 Pookland[27] Habait Theatre; Tzavta Theatre Writer, performer
2012 Family Dinner[28] Acer Festival Writer
2011-2014 Resident Haimovitch[29] Tzavta Theatre;Tmuna Theatre; Haifa Theatre, Be’er Sheave Theatre; The Citizen Here Festival; Victoria Festival; Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festiva Writer, performer
Acting
Year English title Original title Type Role
2025 Yes! כן Film by Nadav Lapid Y
2025 The Sand החול Short film by Ayal Roe and Shahar Deke Elisha
2025 Because of the Language Barrier[30] מפאת זרות השפה Short film by Tamar Peled Yigal
2025 Souls[31] נשמות Play by Itay Tiran, Based on a book by Roy Chen, Gesher Theatre Grischa, Getz, Gedalya, Jemol
2016 FOREVER/NEVER FOREVER/NEVER Play by Idit Herman, UNIDRAM Festival (Potsdam)
2016 The Walk to the Gallows of Clown X עלייתו לגרדום של ליצן X Play by Eldad Fribs, Tel Aviv-Yafo City Museum Guest performance
2014 The Kindergarten Teacher (2014 film) הגננת Film by Nadav Lapid
2014 Shahar Abutbul שחר אבוטבול Play by Or Nadav Argov, Tmuna Theatre Shahar Abutbul
2014 Humor הומור Short film by Tal Zagreba
2012-2013 Humpty Dumpty המפטי דמפטי Play by Dina Blich, Tmuna Theatre, Patneka Theatre (Saint Petersburg) Salvador Dali
2012 ?ToHim? ?ולו? Play by Martin Mogilner, Acer Festival The Director
2011 Policeman שוטר Film by Nadav Lapid
2011 Catch the Spy תפסו את המרגל Play by Ram Rahamim
Video works
Year Title Role
2020 Bueno Bueno Creator, performer
2020 More Creator, performer
2020 The Venue Will Shut Creator, performer
2020 Frogs Creator, performer
2020 Pre-pay Creator, performer
2020 Another will fill your place Creator, performer
2020 Locked (short documentary) Creator
2016 Famous Performance Artist Creator, performer
2014 Noise (Short Film) Creator

Poetry

  • His debut poetry book "No Other" will be published in 2026 (publisher: HaTahana)
  • His poems have been published in "Haaretz," "Maariv," and "Granta Magazine"
  • Guest poet at Tel Aviv Poetry Festival, 2016

Biography

Bronz was born in Odessa in 1984.[3] His father is a Holocaust survivor.[32] Bronz immigrated to Israel in 1990. He is a graduate of the Nissan Nativ acting studio, Yoram Levenstein Acting School and the Minshar School of Art.

Since 2015, he has been the house director of Clipa Theatre.

He has been teaching the Shakespeare course at the Nissan Nativ Acting Studio in Tel Aviv since 2013.[5]

References

  1. ^ "עניין - הוכרזו זוכי פרס רוזנבלום 2018". www.habama.co.il. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  2. ^ "האמן שתחב דגל ישראל לישבנו יקבל פרס מעיריית ת"א. רגב: "החלטה הזויה"". www.maariv.co.il (in Hebrew). 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  3. ^ a b ברונז, אריאל (2017-05-06). "אריאל ברונז". גְרַנְטָה (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  4. ^ "haaretz culture in the periphery".
  5. ^ a b למשחק, ניסן נתיב-בית הספר. "ניסן נתיב - בית הספר למשחק - המורים שלנו | תל אביב - אריאל ברונז". ניסן נתיב - בית הספר למשחק (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-09-14.
  6. ^ פבזנר, יאנה (2019-01-31). "אריאל ברונז בראיון למגזין מאקו". mako (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  7. ^ ""Кому охота прокатиться на верблюде?"". ISRAELI CULTURE (in Russian). 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  8. ^ a b "Dig-it!". Festivalis „ConTempo“. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  9. ^ "haaretz".
  10. ^ "Actor shoves flag up rear end during Haaretz culture confab | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  11. ^ Haaretz הארץ (2016-03-06). מופעו של אריאל ברונז בועידת ישראל לתרבות. Retrieved 2025-08-24 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ Staff, ToI (2016-03-06). "Backside-baring artist shocks conference crowd". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  13. ^ m.naharnet.com https://m.naharnet.com/stories/en/204000-israel-investigates-artist-who-inserted-flag-into-rectum. Retrieved 2025-08-24. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ^ "נסגר התיק נגד האמן אריאל ברונז שנעץ דגל בישבנו בוועידת "הארץ" לתרבות".
  15. ^ "האמן אריאל ברונז אזק את עצמו לאנדרטת השואה בכיכר רבין".
  16. ^ Riba, Naama. "Israeli artist chains himself to Holocaust memorial in Tel Aviv square to protest treatment of Holocaust survivors". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2025-05-17. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  17. ^ ""יום השואה הוא עבודת אלילים": התפשט וכבל עצמו בשלשלאות בכיכר הבימה". www.maariv.co.il (in Hebrew). 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  18. ^ "Police Investigate Artist Who Stuck Flag Up His Backside During Culture Conference".
  19. ^ למשחק, ניסן נתיב-בית הספר. "ניסן נתיב - בית הספר למשחק - הצגות מהשנה האחרונה - הנעול". ניסן נתיב - בית הספר למשחק (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  20. ^ "השדה". פסטיבל ישראל (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  21. ^ www.haaretz.co.il http://web.archive.org/web/20221129231946/https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/theater/2018-12-12/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000017f-f387-d487-abff-f3ff8d010000. Archived from the original on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2025-08-24. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  22. ^ וורגפט, נורית. "בין זיקפה לזיקנה". Haaretz הארץ (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 2025-06-22. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  23. ^ בננסון, מריאנה (2017-01-12). "הכניסיני: בית ביאליק רדוף ברוחות בהצגה חדשה". הכניסיני: בית ביאליק רדוף ברוחות בהצגה חדשה (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  24. ^ "מתקן 27 (2015)". Clipa Theater (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  25. ^ הבית, תיאטרון. "תיאטרון הבית - פסטיבל ברונז בלט // 6-10 באוקטובר - אני דניאיל חארמס". תיאטרון הבית (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  26. ^ "PITS". Ariel Bronz. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  27. ^ הבית, תיאטרון. "תיאטרון הבית - ארץ פוק // 23 בינואר, הצגה אחרונה". תיאטרון הבית (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  28. ^ "FAMILY DINNER". Ariel Bronz. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  29. ^ "FRINGE: The Tenant Haimovitz will mess with your mind". GIG CITY. 2013-08-22. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  30. ^ "מפאת זרות השפה". הפסטיבל הבינלאומי לסרטי סטודנטיות וסטודנטים. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  31. ^ "Souls - Gesher Theatre". www.gesher-theatre.co.il. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  32. ^ "נעול לשולחן היו"ר: מחאת בנו של ניצול שואה נגד הממסד שהפכה למחזמר - וואלה חדשות". וואלה (in Hebrew). 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
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