An art exhibition showcased the beauty and unique features of Tel Aviv in Turin, Italy, last November.

Titled “My Tel Aviv,” the exhibition included over 70 paintings by Israeli architect Ami Shinar. Shinar recently published the book “Tel Aviv Sketches” in cooperation with Avraham Balaban.

In his work, the artist focuses on social issues in urban contexts and presents the diverse faces of Tel Aviv with its colorful neighborhoods and miscellaneous populations.

The exhibition, organized in cooperation with the Embassy of Israel in Italy, was held at the Circolo del Design, an organization promoting art and design in Turin. It was curated by Italian curator Ermanno Tedeschi and Israeli curator Vera Pilpoul, who has worked with Shinar for many years.

During the same days, the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Turin held a panel featuring Tedeschi, founder of the Cultural Association Acribia, Prof. Cristiano Pico from the University of Turin, and Silvio Angori, CEO of Pininfarina, one of the most important car design firms in the world. In the past, Angori had participated in an event at the Design Museum in Holon.

Dr. Maya Katzir, the Embassy’s Cultural Attaché, was involved in organizing both initiatives.

“In this exhibition, you will not find the most renown tourist images of Tel Aviv,” Tedeschi told the Italian portal “Itinerari dell’Arte. “The artist depicts unique corners in the less glamorous districts of the city, where migrant workers and dilapidated houses are found in the shadow of newly built towers.”

“The works take us to places able to convey interesting stories and experiences, historical anecdotes and to present the people who make Tel Aviv what it is,” he added.

A slightly different selection of paintings by Ami Shinar and its firm was also presented at Palazzo Mora in Venice during the events that marked the beginning of the Architecture Biennale. Both the Ambassador of Israel in Italy Alon Bar and Katzir attended the inauguration..

Also the exhibition in Venice was jointly curated by Tedeschi and Pilpoul.