Gayle Anderson explored Art Will S8t You Free, a collection of eight works by Israeli American artist Tomer Peretz which is all also an interactive art installation.
The exhibition is an artistic response to the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel, the resulting Israel-Hamas war, the ongoing global wave of antisemitism, and other traumatic experiences. It is the continuation of Peretz’s layered collaborations with a community of trauma survivors that includes frontline veterans and survivors of October 7th, sexual violence as a weapon of war, terrorism, and mass shootings.
Along with Peretz’s collection of original works throughout the main floor, the Museum has dedicated space for a large multimedia project incorporating an expansive canvas that will be painted on-site, complemented by a display of photographs and videos of frontline emergency response workers by guest artist Kalia Littman.
The Art Will S8t You Free installation is designed to be interactive, giving visitors the opportunity to collaborate with Peretz as he works and then continue creating afterwards with a custom-designed individual art kit after their visit. This experience also includes a public art element, in which Peretz and his team of artist associates will guide student groups in the creation of a public art project.
Working together with other survivors of trauma, each incorporating their individual stories into the work, Peretz creates a therapeutic artistic home to process suffering, explore mass trauma, and support healing. Artists and guests move in community through pain and horror towards light and beauty. Peretz utilizes oil and acrylic painting, photography, and conceptual art to create a vibrant, intense, and at times harrowing experience that situates his art within the disturbing realities of the present world.
Peretz has assembled a team of supporting artists who, in collaboration with the Museum of Tolerance education team, are providing group student and adult interactive educational programming. The guest artists include Michael Canon and Avia Moshe Shklar.
Growing up in Jerusalem amidst the Arab Israeli conflict, Peretz was exposed to terrorist attacks from his most formative years, when he first began to find solace and self-expression through art. He served four years in the IDF during the Second Intifada, experiencing combat and the loss of comrades. References to trauma and violence are a through line of much of his work. Peretz’s body of multimedia artwork reflects both his own and others’ life experiences, touching on social issues, mental health, and the realities of conflict. Peretz and his family have lived in Los Angeles since 2005.
Tomer Peretz was in Tel Aviv on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on southern Israel, murdering 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. He volunteered to help disaster response teams collect bodies from Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the deadliest sites in the attack. The horrific scenes he bore witness to their profoundly affected Peretz, who has always used art to reflect his life experiences and address the harsh realities of violence.
Museum of Tolerance: A Special Installation by Tomer Peretz
Now through May 30, 2025
9786 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 553-8403
MuseumOfTolerance.com
If you have questions, please feel free to contact Gayle Anderson at 323-460-5732, email Gayle at Gayle.Anderson@KTLA.com, Facebook: Gayle Anderson, Instagram and Threads: KTLAChannel5Gayle, X (Formerly Known As Twitter:) KTLA5Gayle and KTLAGayle.bsky.social.
Gayle Anderson reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News April 15,, 2025.
