From Boston to Jerusalem: Finding Joy Amid the Depths

Installation Concept development

By Laura Conrad Mandel for Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture

A Boston-based team brings “Malegría” to the Jerusalem Biennale, exploring grief, joy, memory, and connection.

In April 2026, my team of Boston-based Israeli artists and I were preparing to install Malegría, a multisensory installation art piece created for the 7th Jerusalem Biennale.

Organized around the theme De Profundis—Latin for “From the Depths,” and a reference to the opening words of Psalm 130: “Out of the depths I call You,” the theme asked artists to explore what lies beneath the surface: grief and memory, prayer and healing, and the difficult work of bringing concealed experiences into the light.

The title Malegría combines the Spanish words mal, meaning bad or painful, and alegría, meaning joy. It expresses the emotional tension at the center of the work: the recognition that sorrow and joy can exist together, and that a meaningful life must somehow make room for both.

Just as we were set to fly to Israel to install in Spring 2026, the Iran war upended our plans. In addition to the fear and uncertainty, it added logistical disruption that made it almost impossible to move forward with the show. The Biennale leadership team gathered representatives from all 42 installations to debate whether the event should proceed as planned, or be postponed until artists could travel more safely. With flights severely disrupted and international artists unable to transport their work to Israel in time, the Biennale ultimately postponed the opening.

Now, months later, the Jerusalem Biennale is finally opening. Its largest edition yet brings together more than 250 artists in 42 exhibitions across 21 venues throughout Jerusalem. The works respond deeply to the pain, resilience, spiritual searching, and demands of the moment in which we are living.

Read more at https://www.jewishboston.com/read/from-boston-to-jerusalem-finding-joy-amid-the-depths/