Ghiora Aharoni founded his multi-disciplinary studio for design, architecture and art in Manhattan in 2004.
Aharoni’s artworks are characterized by engaging time as a medium, and an interest in exploring dualities, such as the intersection of religion and science, and the intertwined relationships of seemingly disparate cultures. Much of his work involves text, traditional objects or symbols—such as cultural artifacts or sacred texts—that have been recontextualized and imbued with meaning that asks the viewer to question or reconsider their conventional social/cultural significance.
A graduate of Yale University, his artwork and art installations have been exhibited in New York, Europe, Israel, and India, and his work is in the permanent collection of The Pompidou Center in Paris, as well as private collections in the U.S., Europe, Canada and India.
This fall, the Rubin Museum will present a solo exhibition by Aharoni entitled “The Road to Sanchi” opening November 17, 2017 and on view through October 15, 2018. His work was also selected for the Jerusalem Biennale, on view from October through November 15, 2017.
Aharoni’s solo museum exhibition, “Missives,” opened the fall 2013 season at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum (formerly The Victoria & Albert Museum) in Mumbai, India. Most recently, his work was shown at Sandra Gering Gallery in New York, and in 2016 in conjunction with the Biennale, two sculpture installations were exhibited in “Divided Waters,” a group exhibition of international contemporary art at the Palazzo Fontana in Venice, Italy, commemorating the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Jewish Ghetto in Venice. In the spring of 2016, Aharoni was commissioned to create a public art installation—a series of stainless steel sculptures of Hebrabic/Arabrew© (a combination of Hebrew and Arabic that he conceived in 1999 while at Yale)—at the New York Live Arts Performance Center in Chelsea. In May of 2012, he was commissioned to create a large-scale art installation at the 14th Street Y in Manhattan of Hebrabic/Arabrew© entitled “The Divine Domesticated.” Four panels from the installation were permanently installed that fall in the theater lobby of the Y.
Aharoni's designs and commissioned pieces are also in numerous private collections. His most recent design, the “Jobim 276” coffee table, was introduced at the CollectiveDesign Fair in New York in May of 2015. Since establishing his studio, Aharoni has also designed many architectural projects in New York—ranging from the DeKooning residence and a duplex penthouse in a landmark building in the West Village to a storefront studio/performance space in Williamsburg and the offices of an art law firm on 57th Street.
Articles about Aharoni’s work have been published internationally in books, newspapers, journals and magazines including The New York Times Magazine, Elle Decor U.K., L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, Architectural Digest Spain, Art India, IDEAT, Elle Decor Italia, and New York Magazine. His essay proposing the displacement of Jerusalem's monuments was included in the book "The Next Jerusalem."
Prior to opening his own studio, Aharoni worked at several distinguished architectural firms including Polshek Partnership [now known as Ennead Architects] and Studio Daniel Libeskind. While at Polshek Partnership, he worked on the design for Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall; the space planning and design of The American Museum of Natural History’s subterranean entrance and public spaces; as well as the space planning of The New York Botanical Garden’s Museum Building.
His design work for Studio Daniel Libeskind included the competition submission for The Ground Zero World Trade Center Design Study, and the façade design for Hyundai Development Company, Seoul, Korea. In addition, Aharoni was on the winning design competition team with Zaha Hadid and Arata Isozaki for the building and urban planning of Milan, Italy's Fiera Convention Center.
Aharoni holds a Master of Architecture from Yale University and is a summa cum laude graduate of The Spitzer School of Architecture at City College.
