RUTHI HELBITZ COHEN
Bio + CV
The female body is key to the work of Ruthi Helbitz Cohen. It “performs” on the canvas in different shapes and guises: dressed or undressed, in the role of a clown, witch, child, or femme fatale; as a mythological goddess or historical figure; hanging from the ceiling, floating, lying down; fragmented in space, alone or in the company of other complementary figures. The artist takes the body apart and reassembles it, like a mechanic might do with a car or an engine, or a scientist when dissecting and studying the body of an animal. It is as if she is searching for the inner essence of these women by pulling their bodies apart, by painting heads, limbs or organs separately and then putting them back together like a mismatched puzzle, in which the individual pieces don’t quite fit. A sense of uneasiness arises at the sight of a skull-like head on top of a semi-transparent torso, of a body dissolving into a dark cloak, or of arms taking the place of legs, reaching up towards the torso.
Eros and Thanatos, love and death unite within a single, inseparable figure. Helbitz Cohen says that: “I want to make a small but significant change in viewers’ observations and understandings. Get them interested, get close and turn their head around. I want to make them doubt what they hold as true, real, acceptable. I want my paintings to be inoperable, I want the spectator to object. I would like the painting to generate an unpleasant but at the same time desirable thought process that will make the viewers want to possess this distortion.”
To behold Helbitz Cohen’s work is to behold a world rich in contradictions, strong and subtle emotions, and intricate thoughts seen through a distorting mirror. Beyond the horror, disgust and pain lies a world of delicate beauty.
In addition to the numerous museum exhibits in Israel, she was invited to show her work in Germany, Netherlands, France, Denmark, Greece, China, and the USA. Alongside the artistic work in her studio, Ruthi teaches art in both the Beit Berl Arts College and the Oranim College, Program of Multidisciplinary Studies in Humanities and the Arts (M.Ed.).
Biography written by Beatrice von Bormann
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2025 Behind the Silent Darkness, Wilfrid Israel Museum
2025 The Book of Ruth, Inselgalerie, Berlin
2024 Drawing The Waves And Other Projects, Ruthi Helbitz Cohen and Diana Blok, SiC Athens Space for International Cooperation, Athens
2024 The Book of Ruth, Kirsten Weber’s Castel, Brandenburg
2023-24 Art In The Vide, Museum De Fundati, Zwolle
2023 The Book of Ruth, Moving Gallery, Utrecht
2023 The Sky Fell On Her, Dat Bolwerck, Zutphen
2023 Drawing The Waves And Other Projects, Ruthi Helbitz Cohen and Diana Blok, Suzanne Biederberg Gallery, Amsterdam
2023 Mother I shall weave a chain of pearls for thy neck with my tears of sorrow, Neve Schechter Gallery, Tel Aviv
2023 The Fragile Noise, Gordon Gallery, Jerusalem
2022 And Then the Silence, Contemporary Art Center Ramla, curator: Dr. Smadar Sheffi.
2021 Bombs Will Fly over the Naked King, and a Heavy Heart will plummet,
2020 Hamidrsaha Gallery – Hayarkon 19, Tel Aviv (curator: Avi Lubin)
2020 The Sky Fell On Me, Umm El Fahem Museum (curator: Yael Guilat).
2019 Beloved, The Open Museum, Tefen Industrial Park (curator: Ruthi Ofek).
2018 Potsdam, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv (with Joshua Rosenman), Kunsthaus Potsdam (curators: Hubertus von der Golz and Angelika Euchner).
2017 Set, Haifa Museum of Art (curator: Svetlana Reingold).
2015 Inspire Project, A Deed Without a Name, Macedonia Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki (curator: Thouli Misirloglou).
2015 Daphne, the Israel Culture institute, Budapest.
2015 Whispers, Gordon Gallery,Tel Aviv.
2015 Curtain of Tears, Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art (curator: Aya Lurie).
2014 Four Matriarchs and a Remainder, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv.
2013 Frameless, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou (curator: Yaniv Shapira).
2012 The Spider’s Strategy, Beelden aan Zee Museum, The Hague (curator: Ronit Eden).
2011 On the Edge (with Yehoshua Sobol), Nahum Gutman Museum of Art, Tel Aviv.
2010 Sisyphus, Polylog, Micelmeerbiennale, Köln, Germany.
2009 Damsel’s House, Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv Museum of Art (curator: Varda Steinlauf).
2008 Mind the Gap, Evi Gougenheim Gallery, Paris
2007 Distortion, Umtrieb Gallery, Kiel, Germany
2006 Mind the Gap, Umtrieb Gallery, Kiel, Germany
2006 New Works, Julie M. Gallery, Tel Aviv
SELECTED SOLO EXHBITIONS:
1994 HaMidrasha Graduate Exhibition, Nofhar Gallery, Tel Aviv
Tiger, Mary Fauzi Gallery, Jaffa
Painting Above and Beyond, Ramat Gan Museum of Israeli Art
Tel Aviv Artists’ House
Yavne Art Workshop
The Gallery at Borochov, Tel Aviv
1995 Sharet Foundation Award Winners, The Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery, Tel Aviv University
1995-96 Traveling Exhibition, Sharet Foundation Award Winners, USA
Nehama Café Gallery, Jaffa
1996 Neveh Tzedek Gallery, Tel Aviv
Sharet Foundation Award Winners, Ramat Gan Museum of Israeli Art
Artists Against the Hard Hand Policy, Beit Haam Gallery and Umm al Fahem Art Gallery
2002 Imagine, Umm al Fahem Art Gallery
Teacher Artists Award, The Ministry of Science and Culture, Oranim College Gallery, Tivon
2003 Dying to Sleep, Julie M. Gallery, Tel Aviv
First Portrait Award Winner Exhibition, Helena Rubinstein Art Pavilion, Tel Aviv Museum of Art
2005 Body Marks, Memorial Hall Gallery, Tivon
Gallery Artists, Brantesburg Gallery, Copenhagen
2006 Piece of Art – Peace of Art, Traveling Exhibition of works by Egyptian, Israeli, Palestinian and German Artists
Intensive Care, Julie M. Gallery, Tel Aviv
2007 Raffi, Tova Osman Gallery, Tel Aviv
Commemorating Esty Reshef, Memorial Hall Gallery, Tivon
Bread and Roses, Minshar Gallery, Tel Aviv
In and Out, Julie M. Gallery, Tel Aviv
2008 Black, Bineth Gallery, Tel Aviv
2009 Award Winners Exhibition, The Ministry of Culture and Sport Prizes in Art and
Design, Mishkan Museum of Art, Ein Harod
Lo-li-ta, Office in Tel Aviv Gallery
2010 Art Couture, Benith Gallery, Tel Aviv
Kieler Museum, Kiel
2011 Slough, Rothschild 121 Gallery, Tel Aviv
Black Mamba, Julie M. Gallery, Tel Aviv
2012 2012, Gordon Gallery 2, Tel Aviv
2013 Summer Exhibition, Gordon Gallery and Gordon Gallery 2, Tel Aviv
2014 Chicago Triangle, Haifa Museum of Art (curator: Ruti Direktor)
2015 Summer Exhibition, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
2016 NordArt 2016, The Israel Pavilion, Büdelsdorf Germany, (curator: Carmit Blumenson)
2019 Naked Soul: Chaim Soutine and Israeli Art, Mishkan Museum Ein Harod, (curator: Yaniv Shapira)
2022 Y-art, Sderot Rail Station
Y-art, Hashalom Rail Station, Diana Blok & Ruthi Helbitz Cohen, Tel Aviv
2023 The Naked King , Theatre of democracy, Tel Aviv demonstration
“Hachora”, Nulobaz Cooperative Art Space, Tel Aviv
Real Time, Bei Hankin, Kfar Yehusha (Curator: Neta Haber)
2024 “Midrash Guf”, Mixed Emotions, Tel Aviv (Curators: Tali Kayam and Hagar Raban)
Fragilities, Dina Recanati Gallery, Naked Truth, (Curator: Hagai Segev)
50 years of The Jerusalem Printing Workshop, Jerusalem (Curator: Arik Kilemnik)
Art on Paper, Moving gallery, AmsterdamResidencies:
RESIDENCIES:
2026 ISCP Brooklyn, USA
2024 ISCP Brooklyn, USA
2023 Schechter Gallery Residency, Tel Aviv, Isarel
2006 Peace of Art – Piece of Art, Heinrich Böll Foundation Residency, Germany
AWARDS:
2013 Ministry of Culture Prize.
2010 Commendation, Kener Award.
2008 Prize for the Encouragement of Creation, Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport.
2004 Teacher-Artist Project Award, Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport First
2004 Portrait, Israel National Lottery Council for the Arts.
1996-97 America-Israel Cultural Foundation, Sharet Grant America-Israel Cultural Foundation, Sharet Grant.
Ruthi Helbitz Cohen
[insert title]
X X – XX, 2026
[insert bio about the show]
OPENING RECEPTION
XX
X—X pm