“Home Is Not the Place You Are In – It Is the Place Within You”

Seventy works of art from the rooms of students living in the Technion dormitories are featured in a new exhibition offering a rare glimpse into the students’ personal worlds. This is the exhibition’s second season, with new displays replacing those from the first season in 2022, which was presented under the title “Behind Every Door We Found Love,” a phrase taken from curator Valeria Geselev’s words.

At the opening ceremony, student David Elkhan Salem spoke about his participation in the exhibition. Salem is a student in the Stephen B. Klein Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and a participant in the Anières Program, which helps new immigrants gain admission to the Technion’s various faculties and programs and succeed in their studies. The works displayed on the walls of his room and in the exhibition depict a samurai, an F-35 fighter jet, and the film Rocky IV. He said that he immigrated alone from Azerbaijan at the age of 17 and explained, “The posters represent my journey at the Technion. Every year brings a new challenge to overcome. The samurai reminds me to strive for excellence through discipline, honor, and an unbreakable warrior spirit. The F-35 in another image represents my pride in the Faculty, and Rocky IV reminds me that no matter how strong the opponent is, keep moving forward and win.”

Prof. Guedi Capeluto, dean of students, said at the ceremony, “Home is not the place you are in – it is the place within you. That is why it is so important to us that the student dormitories are not merely places to sleep but also homes. And it is the students who live there who make them one.”

Geselev drew inspiration for the Dorms Art Survey exhibition series from Home Is Where The Art Is, an exhibition held in 2020 at the Zeitz MOCAA museum in Cape Town, which featured some 2,000 works brought from residents’ homes. Unlike that exhibition, the Technion exhibition does not display the original works themselves, but rather full-scale reproductions on the corridor walls of the Ullmann Building, where all Technion students study during their first year.

“The Technion is perceived as a highly achievement-oriented and even demanding place, and this exhibition reflects the beautiful and diverse face of the campus and the human mosaic within it,” said Geselev. “For me, it is a celebration of individualism – of students, their lives, their stories, and the things they love. I thank all the partners who joined me on the exciting journey that led to this exhibition, a rich collective portrait of a temporary human community whose lives are centered around the Technion.”

The opening ceremony for the exhibition was attended by Prof. Danny Raz, Technion senior executive vice president; Prof. Benny Kimelfeld, dean of the Undergraduate School; and Prof. Guedi Capeluto, dean of students. “People are surprised to discover the new exhibitions in Ullmann,” said Prof. Raz. “The works displayed here create a sense of home and belonging and provide a respite from exams and stress.”

“We accompany students throughout their entire journey at the Technion,” said Prof. Kimelfeld. “That journey is a challenging one that shapes their identity, and it is important that we also provide room for personal expression. No transcript offers a place for personal expression, but an exhibition like this certainly does.”

The ceremony’s emcee, Shikma Kalfon of the Undergraduate School, said, “Art is the way we tell something about ourselves, sometimes without saying a word. It is found not only in museums and galleries, but also in our everyday choices: in what we create, what we choose to bring into our lives, and what we keep close to us. In the dormitories, where all the rooms look alike, space is limited, and there is no room for another closet or shelf, it is precisely a personal work of art that turns a dorm room into a home. It is that personal expression that makes a student linger for another moment, because it touches something deep within them.”

The exhibition will be on display through June 2027 at the Corridor Gallery, fourth floor, Ullmann Building, Technion.

Curator: Valeria Geselev | Photography: Tair Zargari