Joel Mesler: ‘The Light Within’ Opens in Tel Aviv

Joel Mesler’s latest exhibition ‘The Light Within’ opened this week to a huge crowd in Tel Aviv. Hosted by Nassima Landau Art Foundation, this is the New York-based artist’s first solo show in Israel.

Combining a whimsical sense of nostalgia, his signature lettering, and nods to his Jewish heritage, Joel’s work evokes a joyful playfulness we could all use a little more of right now.

Miami-based art advisor and curator Michelle Azout gives her take on the artist: “Joel’s work is really about bringing light and joy to the world—something that is desperately needed in this vitriolic post-October 7th climate. While the themes are rooted in Jewish values, I believe his work has universal appeal.

I really admire Joel—there are not many high profile people in the art world who have been transparent and vocal about their connection to Judaism and Israel. I absolutely love that he is showing at Nassima Landau in Tel Aviv, alongside Guy Yanai, whose work I also really admire. It’s a brilliant pairing and I anticipate the show will do very well commercially.”

Speaking with Joel, it was immediately evident that the playful nature of his work is an authentic reflection of the artist himself—he was an absolute pleasure to chat with.

Leah Grossman: Your art is delightful, Joel. Can you tell us what ‘The Light Within’ means to you? What was your process for curating these pieces?

Joel Mesler: ‘The Light Within’ for me is a little bit of the Serenity Prayer, a little bit of realizing that I can only start with the man in the mirror. I can only look at and change myself, better myself, if I want to do good in the world. So using the paintings to kind of look back at myself—it’s like an act of self-reflection.

I actually used some older paintings like Bruised Fruit, Hopes & Dreams, Spiritual Healing, and To Life, and I actually tried to make them look like stained glass. And knowing that they’d be in Israel, kind of turning the light back to reflect on myself and obviously the viewer.

LG: How does it feel to bring this exhibition to Israel at this particular moment in time?

JM: Obviously the world and Israel changed recently. I’ve been here many times and I’m always a little afraid to come here because I’m afraid I’m not gonna leave. Every time I come back I end up extending my stay. When I was much younger I came just to take a few classes, and I ended up studying at Ohr Somayach, a Baal Teshuva Yeshiva, for almost a year…I put off going to graduate school.

Being in Israel, unlike any other place—it’s my home and it’s one of those places where you question…okay I’m gonna go back to Long Island now. Besides my children, why do I live there? What is the purpose of my life? So there’s a bit of that.

LG: What has your post-October 7th experience been in the art world? Has it made you any more or less inclined to continue to portray Jewish themes in your work?

JM: I’ve always been myself. The light, if you will—the celebration of life, the Torah, my knowledge or responsibility of needing to be the light—has always been present in the work. So I really haven’t had to change my work and how I practice. If anything I’ve had to kind of change a little bit how people react to me. But really I haven’t had to change my own work—I’ve stayed pretty focused.

Year to year I have a few more friends, and a few more people who don’t like me. There’s always gonna be people that want us dead or shamed or punished for being Jewish, so this specific moment is no different than any other time—it’s unique to this generation.

Post-October 7th I’ve tried to, if anything, help guide people to stay focused on what our function or purpose is. What it isn’t, I know, is arguing with strangers who—no matter what we say—just don’t like us. If we get focused on their conversation, we have lost focus on our purpose.

LG: I see you extended an invitation to artist Guy Yanai to join the exhibition, sharing in the theme of ‘light.’ How did this collaboration come about?

JM: Knowing the architecture of the gallery, it’s one where it really needed another voice. I’ve known Guy for a while, and to me he epitomizes a real Israeli artist…he’s somebody that deals literally with light in his work very consistently.

We started just by having a conversation about light, and light reflecting back (as opposed to light moving through). He literally did almost the opposite of stained glass, where he did three paintings of windows—looking out through the windows. So I thought: what an interesting juxtaposition.

LG: When you’re not at the exhibit, what are you looking forward to doing with your time in Israel?

JM: It’s so funny because normally I would be doing so many other things, especially if I brought my children here. But I am literally just walking through the gallery and meeting people. I feel like there’s a sense that I can bring a little light to people and I can do it, if you will, with my props—my art. So it’s easier to do it here than if I’m on another street corner. This is the best street corner for me to do the best work I have…so I really haven’t left.

If Joel’s goal is to bring light to people, he is undoubtedly succeeding. Whether you’re an art aficionado or just want to see work that’ll make you smile—this exhibition is not to be missed.

‘The Light Within’ will be on display through August 8, 2025 at Nassima Landau in Tel Aviv.