Ariel Bronz is a theatre creator, performance artist, poet, playwright, actor, and activist born in Ukraine, living in Tel Aviv.
He is the author of more than 40 stage and site specific performances and is a recipient of the 2018 Rosenblum Prize for Performing Arts, despite the objections of the Israeli Minister of Culture.
His wide range of works quickly gained him public and critical acclaim, making him one of the most controversial artists in Israel today. These performances are known to immediately make waves, with some reaching cult status. His plays have been presented in various theaters in Israel and around the world.
Since 2015, he has been the house director of Clipa Theatre and a theatre instructor at Nissan Nativ Acting Studio.
Works In his work, Bronz tackles complex social-political topics and issues that tend to be repressed in society. His targets of criticism vary from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands to its inevitable results: militarism, violence, conservatism, and racism.
He exploits elements from pop culture, trash, mainstream media, and theatre to make his harsh message possible to swallow. Abounding with images, symbols, taboos, and cliches, his art creates a synthesis between reality being an absurd scenario and the most exaggerated fiction as a possible and even probable reality.
Bronz's works are characterized by a constant examination of boundaries: he gleefully crosses the boundaries of good taste and uses artistic traps and provocations to shake the audience out of its apathy.
Controversies
The Flag In 2016, Bronz was invited by Haaretz to perform at the Tel Aviv Museum as part of his show "Love the Juice" at the "Israel Conference for Culture," both addressing freedom of speech. The audience, who didn't understand the satirical nature of the show, became angry—disrupting and trying to cut short the performance. Trying to control the turmoil, the organizers and security stepped in, attempting to stop the show by turning off the lights and sound and removing the set. Bronz refused to stop the performance before its proper ending, and at the last moment, understanding that the organizers who had invited him and the raging audience would not let him finish his performance, he grabbed the national flag (part of the set, appeared white on camera) and stuck it in his bottom. The action infuriated the audience, and Bronz was escorted out by security.
This act made headlines all over the world, led to harsh comments from right-wing figures, and resulted in threats to his and his family's lives. He received a police complaint filed by the Culture Minister's office and was accused of harming national symbols, public indecency, and disturbance of public order. For years following the incident, Bronz was isolated from the local art scene and was treated as persona non grata. In his interrogation, Bronz claimed that the move was improvised, inspired by a Russian saying. In May 2020, the case was closed.
Locked Another performative act that made waves in the media and Israeli discourse is Bronz's "Locked" series. Between 2016 and 2020, on every Holocaust Memorial Day, he would chain himself around the neck and hang himself from different national memorial monuments, in protest against the Israeli government ignoring Holocaust survivors' rights and occupying Palestinian lands. This series of performances draws a straight line between two seemingly unrelated topics: the last Holocaust survivors being neglected in Israel and Palestinians being persecuted in their own land.
Each one of these acts led to him being interrogated and arrested, as well as receiving death threats. He was labeled by the Minister of Culture as a "symbol of slander" after receiving the Rosenblum Prize for his artistic practice from the Tel Aviv mayor in 2018.
Artistic Output +PerformanceYearNamePlaceRole2025Cafeteria (Cheder Ochel)Ta Tarbut Da Vinci TLVCreator, writer, performer2025Locked - a documentary musicaHabait TheatreWriter, director2025House Manager (Av Bait)Habait TheatreWriter, director, performer2024DirtClipa TheatreDirector2024Where's the Money?Hahanut TheatreCreator, performer2024Black SnowClipa TheatreDirector2023-2024Beauty Tel Aviv MuseumWriter2023What Do You Know (Ma at mevina)Clipa Theatre Creator, director, performer2023Kunts Gesher TheatreWriter, director2023Hey I Just Rapped a GirlA-Genre Festival, Tmuna Theatre Creator, performe2022Dieדי Clipa Theatre Creator, writer, director2022Guilty PleasureHome Festival, Frankfurt History MuseumWriter, director2022The Stars Fooled Me - a tribute show to Bialik Tel Aviv Culture CenterWriter, performer2021-2023I Came, I SawTel Aviv MuseumCreator, writer, co-director2021Dig ItContempo Festival, Lithuania Creator, performer2021InterrogationsSite specificCreator, performer2020The Venue will Shut (performativ act)Habima Theatre; Cameri Theatre; Beit Lessin Theatre; Gesher Theatre; The Israeli Opera; Clipa Theatre; Tmuna Theatre; Tzavta Theatre Creator, performer2020FrogsClipa TheaterCreator, performer2020G.U.IL.TSite specificCreator, performer2020Locked - a documentary musical Nissan Nativ Acting School, performed by 3rd year students.Creator, director2020CultureHabima SquareCreator2020Locking 5 (performative act)Yad Vashem MuseumCreator, performer2019View FieldIsrael FestivalCo-director, writer2019UnderworldShort Theater FestivalWriter2019Locking 4 (performative act)Habima SquareCreator, performer2018-2020Midsummer Night's Dream IN SPACEClipa TheatreDirector, creator2018-2019Me2much Diver Festivel, Clipa TheatreCreator, performer2018The Stranger Be'er Sheva Fringe Festival, The Negev Museum of ArtCo-creator, performer2018All That WorksClipa TheatreCo-creator, performer2018Mature AudiencesClipa TheatreCreator, writer, performer2018Locking 3 (performative act)Holocaust memorial monument, Rabin Square Creator, performer2017-2018Someone's HomeBialik House Museum Co-director2017Locking 2 (performative act)The Knesset Lamp MonumentCreator, performer2016Culture in the PeripheryTel Aviv-Yafo City MuseumCreator, writer, performer2016Locking 1 (performative act)Office of the Foundation for Welfare of Holocaust VictimsCreator, performer2015-2017LOVE the JUICEClipa TheatreCreator, writer, performer2015-2016Facility 27Tel Aviv-Yafo City MuseumCo-creator, writer, performer2014–presentWho Wants to Ride a Camel ?Tour around the country; Germany, Brazil, Italy, RussiaCreator, writer, performer2014Hate Arte Loving Art Festival, Gvirol Culture and Art Center,Creator, performe2014I am Daniil KharmsHabait TheatreWriter2013-2015PitsTmuna Theatre; Habait Theatre; Stanislavski Theatre (Saint Petersburg)Writer, co-director2013-2015PooklandHabait Theatre; Tzavta TheatreWriter, performer2012Family DinnerAcer Festival Writer2011-2014Resident HaimovitchTzavta Theatre;Tmuna Theatre; Haifa Theatre, Be’er Sheave Theatre; The Citizen Here Festival; Victoria Festival; Edmonton Fringe Theatre FestivaWriter, performer +ActingYearEnglish titleOriginal titleTypeRole2025YesכןFilm by Nadav LapidY2025The SandהחולShort film by Ayal Roe and Shahar DekeElisha2025Because of the Language Barrierמפאת זרות השפהShort film by Tamar PeledYigal2025SoulsנשמותPlay by Itay Tiran, Based on a book by Roy Chen, Gesher TheatreGrischa, Getz, Gedalya, Jemol 2016FOREVER/NEVERFOREVER/NEVERPlay by Idit Herman, UNIDRAM Festival (Potsdam)2016The Walk to the Gallows of Clown Xעלייתו לגרדום של ליצן XPlay by Eldad Fribs, Tel Aviv-Yafo City MuseumGuest performance2014The Kindergarten TeacherהגננתFilm by Nadav Lapid 2014Shahar Abutbulשחר אבוטבולPlay by Or Nadav Argov, Tmuna TheatreShahar Abutbul2014HumorהומורShort film by Tal Zagreba2012-2013Humpty Dumptyהמפטי דמפטיPlay by Dina Blich, Tmuna Theatre, Patneka Theatre (Saint Petersburg)Salvador Dalí 2012?ToHim??ולו?Play by Martin Mogilner, Acer FestivalThe Director2011PolicemanשוטרFilm by Nadav Lapid 2011Catch the Spyתפסו את המרגלPlay by Ram Rahamim +Video worksYearTitleRole2020Bueno Bueno Creator, performer2020MoreCreator, performer2020The Venue Will ShutCreator, performer2020FrogsCreator, performer2020Pre-payCreator, performer2020Another will fill your placeCreator, performer2020Locked (short documentary)Creator2016Famous Performance ArtistCreator, performer2014Noise (Short Film)Creator
Poetry
His debut poetry book "No Other" will be published in 2026 (publisher: HaTahana) His poems have been published in "Haaretz," "Maariv," and "Granta Magazine" Guest poet at Tel Aviv Poetry Festival, 2016
Biography Bronz was born in Odessa in 1984. His father is a Holocaust survivor. Bronz immigrated to Israel in 1990. He is a graduate of the Nissan Nativ acting studio, Yoram Levenstein Acting School and the Minshar School of Art.
Since 2015, he has been the house director of Clipa Theatre.
He has been teaching the Shakespeare course at the Nissan Nativ Acting Studio in Tel Aviv since 2013.
References