Periscope Gallery was far more than just another exhibition space. Located on Ben Yehuda Street in Tel Aviv, it was a meeting point for local design, a gallery dedicated to design and craft, and, for those of us engaged in contemporary jewellery, a place where contemporary jewellery was presented naturally as part of the gallery’s agenda.
With the passing of Sari Paran in November 2025 and the announcement of Periscope’s closure, a significant chapter, at least for the time being, has also come to an end in the local narrative of exhibiting Israeli jewellery.
One of the most distinctive aspects of Periscope was the way contemporary jewellery was presented as a complete practice. Over the years, the gallery hosted exhibitions of contemporary jewellery that ranged from the use of unconventional raw materials to works rich in craftsmanship; from explorations of working processes or new techniques to works with a clear political statement; from engagement with personal subjects to jewellery works carrying a narrative or a distinct personal signature, as well as formal exploration or references to the body. In fact, there was never a single unified line at the gallery, but rather a sequence of questions.
At the center of all this stood Sari Paran. Not as a “super-curator,” yet also not as a figure working behind the scenes, there was always something in her presence: curious, open to new ideas, allowing freedom of action. Paran knew how to discern what fit and what did not, and how to make space without demanding conformity. She believed in metalsmithing and jewellery as a living, evolving field – not as a marginal category of design, and not as an appendix to the fine arts. For many makers, Periscope was an important transitional station – sometimes a first, sometimes a moment of maturation. For audiences, it was an opportunity to encounter a different kind of jewellery.
Here is a partial list of jewelers, designers, and artists who exhibited at Periscope over the years, in solo or group exhibitions, in the context of contemporary jewellery:
Iris Oliver, Yael Ouliel, Aryeh Ophir, Noy Alon, Noam Elishiv, Vered Babai, Yotam Behat, Fa Bachar, Yaakov (Willy) Bloch, Shirly Bar-Amotz, Mor Carolina Berger, Iris Barnov, Galit Barak, Hagar Ben Shalom, Yifat Ben Mashulam, Ilya Gitelman, Anat Gelbard, Elina Glaizer, Sofia Golubev, Anat Golan, Gillian Golan, Omri Goren, Anat Gruzovsky-Abukiya, Yael Gertz, Bianca Eshel-Gershuni, Rachel Dahan Ta’anakh, Mora Dimerman, Gili Doliner, Eden Danieli, Batya Wang, Alex Ward, Ada Vardimon-Goodson, Naomi Van-Helder, Noa Tamir, Yarit Yakubovitch, Stav Cohen, Ariel Lavian, Alma Lion, Einat Leader, Gregory Larin, Hillel Lorenz, Galit Meushar, Yoav Miller, Yonit Metza-Gutman, Peleg Mercedes Matityahu, Shirley Matitya, Ido Noy, Naama Henman, Uri Samet, Dana Seachuga, Galit Einav, Yael Filo, Yael Friedman, Roe Press, Kobi Peretz, Orina Parente, Dania Chelminsky, Daniel Keller-Aviram, Yaakov Kaufman, Yoav Kotik, Zivia Kaye, Vered Kaminski, Aviv Kinel, Esther Knobel, Kobi Roth, Rakefet Kna’an, Nitza Rona, Ruta Reifin, Galit Shvach, Eyal Shinbaum, Meital Schwartz, Deganit Stern Schocken, Maya Stein, Michal Shish Brown, Lior Shulak-Hai, Kati Sheffer, Daniella Saraya, Brune Boyer, Sophie Hanagarth, Florence Lehmann, Géraldine Luttenbacher, Aude Medori, Agathe Saint Girons.
Periscope usually operated in relative quiet, without a public-relations apparatus, more in a pre-social media mode. The gallery’s closure following Sari Paran’s passing also raises a question about the possibility today for independent spaces that operate out of trust in local design. But it is also an opportunity to pause and say: something unique, truly one of a kind occurred! Although the gallery operated for nearly three decades, consistently, with attentiveness and with genuine love for the field, it was nonetheless singular and unique in the local landscape.
Sari Paran, in her way, left a profound impact. This is not to be taken lightly, not to be taken for granted, and it will certainly be missed.
Photo: Vered Babai