The Open Kitchen: Memories From a Home Left Behind

Since the war broke out on October 7, tens of thousands of families haven’t been able to do mundane things like make an omelet, wash the dishes, or pack up food for children and grandchildren to take home after a Shabbat meal. Evacuated from their homes, they have sought refuge in hotels across the country. “The Open Kitchen: Memories From a Home Left Behind” exhibition (curator: Matan Choufan) examines their everyday objects and experiences — whether abstract or tangible —and through them, sheds light on the current reality of displacement in Israel. Uprooted from their homes, these families are exiled within their homeland as the war drags on. In the midst of this upheaval and hardship, daily tasks turn into fantasies, recipes become deep longings, and a profound desire for old routines is felt. 

The exhibition offers a glimpse into five homes, telling the story of five women who participated in “The Open Kitchen Project.” Through these personal narratives, and other recipes and stories we’ve gathered over the past year, we explore how the kitchen, the dining table, and the rituals surrounding them contribute to a sense of control, personal security, and stability — in other words, to a sense of home — that was shattered. The desire to return to cooking has become more of an emotional necessity than a physical one. When given a chance to cook, they often make something nostalgic: a grandmother’s soup prepared in her memory, a fish stew that momentarily brings back the warmth of family Shabbat dinners, or stuffed grape leaves that evoke the vines still growing at a home the cook can no longer return to. 

Listen to them.

Colony Collapse Disorder refers to a phenomenon where bees unexpectedly abandon their hive, leaving behind larvae and food sources. The exact cause of this behavior is not fully understood, but it is believed to be triggered by human actions.

When I created this work about 10 years ago, I understood it as a reflection of the collapse of kibbutz values — what began as an idealistic concept disintegrated or ended in privatization. I also aimed to address ecological issues, exploring how a culture of consumption, excess, and abundance generates harmful waste.

I placed various everyday objects, some unattractive and seemingly useless, in the hives at Kibbutz Yad Mordechai for 24 hours. The bees then covered these objects with wax lace, creating a haunting sense of disruption, as if suggesting a disaster — like a house engulfed by a wave, scattering and mingling its contents.

Then October 7 arrived, bringing a total breakdown and collapse of systems, and a new layer of meaning emerged from this work. The bees covered what humans had left behind — the remnants of life — with their ritualistic, consistent, and miraculous work. This also hints at what may come when nature reclaims its place after humanity self-destructs. Today, it is not their colony that has collapsed.

— Hila Amram