Day After Yesterday, an art exhibition by Canadian artists who address post-October 7 healing through creative expression, opened recently at the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv.
Featuring works by Marla Buck, Paul Curran, and Dorothy Zafir, the exhibition is the sixth display processing trauma through art that curator Fiammetta Martegani has helmed since the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks.
The opening event on September 19 was attended by the Canadian Ambassador to Israel, Leslie Scanlon.
Although they work in different media, each artist explores the themes of resilience, recovery, and collective healing. Their artworks offer a vivid narrative of Israel’s ongoing challenges, while highlighting moments of courage, solidarity, and renewal.
Each piece stands as a tribute to human resilience, acknowledging pain and adversity while expressing the hope that drives recovery.
By reframing hardship through creative expression, the artists invite viewers to see how suffering can be transformed into art and a vision of healing and hope.
Marla Buck
A “tiny but mighty artist,” as she describes herself, Buck is a leading jewelry designer, with her pieces sold in over 800 fashion stores worldwide. The Torontonian is also a passionate activist, Zionist, and philanthropist.
Since October 7, Buck has focused her energy on advocating for Israel and raising funds for nonprofit organizations that support PTSD recovery for soldiers and the families of hostages.
Working primarily with 24-karat gold and porcelain, her artwork and jewelry are both thought-provoking and transformative, bringing color and beauty to an otherwise black-and-white world.
In this exhibition, Buck’s work traces the journey from the moment before the world shattered on October 7, to the present, moving from darkness to light.
Her piece depicting Israel takes the shape of a woman’s body, with three panels representing the two years of war, soon entering its third year.
The first panel features soft, white brush strokes and uplifting words, transitioning into a black panel symbolizing horror, and then a gray panel reflecting trauma interwoven with hope and rebuilding. The 251 hostages are represented by small white figures, connected by invisible threads, suspended across the paintings.
Paul Curran – Drawing Tel Aviv
Known as the “Drawing Tel Aviv” artist, Curran, who hails from Vancouver, moved to Israel in 2012 and now lives in the White City. A tech professional by day and an artist by night, he shares vibrant, animated drawings of the city’s neighborhoods on his Instagram page.
Curran’s love of architecture, history, and Japanese culture inform his style and use of pixel art. In this exhibition, he captures the striking contrast between ordinary civilian life and the realities of global conflict, especially after October 7.
His work embodies the chaos and complexity of war while conveying resilience and endurance. His piece, The Circle of Life in Tel Aviv, depicts the city’s skyline curved within a clock, illustrating the passage of time. The yellow ribbons in this and other works serve as vivid reminders of the hostages still held in Gaza.
Dorothy Zafir
After many visits to Israel, Zafir from Toronto made aliyah in 2015 and now lives in Tel Aviv, where she says her heart is. Raised in an artistic home, she was surrounded by art from a young age. Art was not just a passion but a central part of her family’s life, which continues to influence her.
When both her parents passed away in 2022, just four months apart, Zafir found comfort and solace from her grief in Tel Aviv’s vibrant art scene. Amid the city’s noise and energy, she discovered signs of love in unexpected places, a reminder that love is eternal.
After Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack, her artistic exploration of Tel Aviv’s hidden corners took on deeper significance. She began to perceive Israeli resilience embedded in the city itself, through street art, political expressions, and overlooked spaces that radiate strength.
Through her artwork, she captures not only the invincible spirit of its people but also the enduring sense of love that characterizes Tel Aviv.
The exhibition is on view until the end of December. To coordinate a visit, email taviv@international.gc.ca