Doron Polak is an Israeli artist, curator, theatre director, and art theorist whose work has unfolded across more than four decades and 30 countries. Born in Givatayim in 1953, he has produced over 400 exhibitions worldwide — from the Venice Biennale and the Ludwig Museum in Vienna to galleries in New York, Berlin, Paris, and beyond. A committed advocate for dialogue between Jewish and Arab artists, he created the “Artists Send Peace” collection, shown in 30 countries. He is the founder of the Mayon Hamayim Gallery in Givatayim, a long-running performance artist, a prolific art writer, and has served as art editor of Panim magazine since its founding.

Early Life
Born in 1953 in Givatayim, Polak first stepped onto the stage of the Habima National Theatre at the age of 12. He studied theatre and political science at Tel Aviv University, arts management at the University of Haifa, and went on to advance his practice in London and Berlin.

Theatre
In the 1980s, Polak founded the theatre group “Terra” and presented experimental works at the Acre Festival and the Israel Festival, including Matter in the Hand of Creation, Symmetries, and Cult. In 1988 he produced an adaptation of S.Y. Agnon’s A Bridal Canopy.

International Curating
In 1992 he established the production office “Projectiv” and has since produced over 400 exhibitions across 30 countries — New York, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Venice and beyond. Among the highlights: a major Israeli art exhibition at the Ludwig Museum in Vienna, and the “Markers” series at the Venice Biennale featuring over 700 artists, including Dani Karavan and Dennis Oppenheim.

Art and Coexistence
A driving force behind joint exhibitions for Jewish and Arab artists, Polak created the “Artists Send Peace” collection, shown in 30 countries. He also produced the “Coexistence” event at Mitzpe Ramon — an international peace project bringing together leading artists from Israel and around the world.

Performance and Mayon Hamayim Gallery
In 2006 he founded the Mayon Hamayim municipal gallery in Givatayim, where he runs “The Bodies” — a long-term body art project created as a dialogue with his father, a Holocaust survivor. The project has been performed in Berlin, Paris, London, New York, and Barcelona.

Writing and Teaching
Polak has written over 300 art essays for catalogues and magazines, and has served as art editor of Panim magazine since its founding. He has taught art production at Tel Aviv University, the University of Haifa, Bar-Ilan University, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.