Biography

The Female Body Reconstructed
Beatrice von Bormann

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.).

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 Group Exhibitions

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 ArtistsHouse

 

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 ArtPeace 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

2022

Y-art, Hashalom Rail Station, Diana Blok & Ruthi Helbitz Cohen, Tel Aviv          

2023

The Naked King , Theatre of democracy, Tel Aviv demonstration

2023

“Hachora”, Nulobaz Cooperative Art Space, Tel Aviv

2023

Real Time, Bei Hankin, Kfar Yehusha (Curator: Neta Haber)

2024

״”Midrash Guf”, Mixed Emotions, Tel Aviv (Curators: Tali Kayam and Hagar Raban)

2024

Fragilities, Dina Recanati Gallery, Naked Truth, (Curator: Hagai Segev)

2024

50 years of The Jerusalem Printing Workshop, Jerusalem (Curator: Arik Kilemnik)

2024

Art on Paper, Moving gallery, Amsterdam

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.

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

Upcoming

  • 2025
    Ramat Gan Museum
  •  2026
    Mutare Gallery, Berlin

Selected Collections

  • The Israel Museum, Jerusalem Museum
  • De Fundatie.
  • Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
  • Ein Harod Museum.
  • Haifa Museum.
  • Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art.
  • MMCA, Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki.
  • The art collection of the Haaretz newspaper.
  • Bank Leumi Collection.
  • Public and private Collections in Israel and abroad.