From Vine Leaves to the New 'Eifo HaYeled' Album: Weekend Recommendations
This week, Noma Bar's exhibition opens at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the band Eifo HaYeled releases its seventh album, and the French film 'A Difficult Year' hits local theaters.
Exhibition of negatives, in a positive way
This week (5.8), the exhibition "On the Other Hand" opens at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the first solo exhibition in Israel by Noma Bar, an international illustrator and designer. Bar (52), born in Afula and a Bezalel graduate, has been based in London since 2000. Over 25 years, he has become one of the world's most influential illustrators, with work featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Economist, as well as on book covers for Margaret Atwood and Haruki Murakami.
Bar's hallmark is his virtuoso use of positive and negative space, where images reveal themselves within one another. Curated by Yuval Saar, the exhibition showcases prints, animation, sculpture, and sketches, offering a deep dive into the thought processes behind his iconic imagery. Yakir Segev.
You can roll like Rafi Cohen
It is the peak of the vine leaf season. You can find them in piles at markets in mixed cities like Ramle or Wadi Nisnas in Haifa, or pre-packaged at the Carmel Market. Preparation is simple: blanch the leaves in boiling water, rinse, and trim the stems. Place a teaspoon of round rice filling—seasoned with salt, lemon juice, and optional herbs—on the leaf, fold, and roll. Arrange in a pot, cover with olive oil, and cook slowly for 90 minutes. Hilik Gorfinkel.
Album: looking into the whites of the eyes
Nine years after their last release, Eifo HaYeled has dropped their seventh album, "Ambulance Shirim" (Song Ambulance), written amidst the turbulent reality of the past three years. Hami Rodner and his bandmates deliver powerful melodies and sharp lyrics. The track "Acharei HaMilchama" (After the War) is based on the notebook of Or Blumovich, a combat engineer who fell in Gaza in 2024. "We look at sadness, anxiety, and anger straight in the whites of the eyes," says Rodner. Maya Nahum Shachal.
Television: Romeo and Juliet, The Godfather version
The new British crime series "Mint," premiering on yes, is billed as a 21st-century "Romeo and Juliet." It follows the romance between Shannon, from a brutal Scottish crime family, and Aran, from a rival clan. Creator Charlotte Regan masterfully balances violence and sweetness with subtle irony. Ruta Kupfer.
Film: 80s, French Yiddishkeit, and a sweet film
Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache's "A Difficult Year" (Une année difficile) has arrived in theaters. It is a charming, graceful coming-of-age story set in the 80s about a Jewish boy preparing for his bar mitzvah, capturing the complexities of family life with humor and heart. Yair Rave.
Shopping: roots from Iraq, chic from Paris
At designer Hila Hilo-Marani's new studio on Montefiore Street in Tel Aviv, one finds jewelry and clothing that blend bohemian style with Mediterranean flair. Drawing inspiration from her Iraqi seamstress grandmothers, Hilo-Marani combines manual craftsmanship with a modern aesthetic. Ilit Minmar.
