Israeli Design Couples Blend Love, Work and Art for Fresh Fair
A feature on several Israeli creative couples previews their work for the 2026 Fresh Paint fair, set for June 24 to 29 at the former Israel Electric Company operations center, the Kramnitsky Technical Center in Tel Aviv. Curator Tal Golani says this year stands out for an unusually large number of couples exhibiting together, noting that the tension between personal artistic voice and shared life can create both challenges and fertile ground for creativity.
Architects and designers Gal Gaon, 59, and Irene Goldberg, 56, who run Atelier G' Collection, will show small pieces from their joint and separate lines. Gaon, a Bezalel architecture graduate and HIT interior design lecturer, will present a small sofa from his Pebble collection and a large wooden bird sculpture. Goldberg, who studied at Glasgow's Mackintosh School of Architecture and moved to Israel from Venezuela in 1983, will show two Dahlia side tables from a colorful leather-based series. They said they work from one studio, but keep separate artistic worlds, and have already shown together at Milan's Nilufar Gallery; they are now developing a new collection for September 2026.
Glass artists and partners Rosa Racheli Pinfriedman, 34, and Grisha Zilber, 40, of the Shkufim studio, will bring lighting, vases, wall sculptures and more accessible glasses made in glassblowing and other techniques. They live in Pardes Hanna, have a four-and-a-half-year-old son named San and are expecting a daughter. Their work often reflects their relationship and family life, including a piece called “Protected Space,” a small red heart inside a larger transparent heart.
Industrial designers Michal Tal and Yuval Tal, both 52, of Rack and Tack, will present office furniture and accessories that mix traditional craftsmanship with contemporary production. The couple, who have been together 22 years and have three children, say the company was born from a gap they saw in the market for high-quality but accessible workspaces. They describe the business as their “fourth child,” and say ideas often come from family conversations at home.
