Staff

• 

  NATHALIE KERTESZ - CREATIVE DIRECTOR

  Nathalie Kertesz is a visual artist, curator and architect, born in Jerusalem, lives in Barcelona. She holds a B.Arch from the Bezalel Academy of Art and design, and an M.A. in Architecture and Urban Culture, form the UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya), in collaboration with the CCCB. Nathalie exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, as well as curated art and cultural exhibitions. As co-founder and Artistic director of Laba BCN, Nathalie seeks to foster connections and inspire dialogue within the art community, creating spaces where diverse perspectives can coexist and flourish.

• 

  PAOLA SMAN - CREATIVE DIRECTOR

  Paola Sman is a visual artist born in Mexico City. She studied and lived in Jerusalem, New York and Barcelona where she has lived for more than twenty years. Painting, drawing, artist books and ceramics are the media in which she has worked in recent years. She has also worked on Design projects and Judaica objects. She is currently working on projects of culture, art and Jewish thought in Barcelona and for more than 10 years she has been the curator of the MUAC bookstore in CDMX. She recently obtained two postgraduate degrees, one in Jewish Thought in Sweden and one in Ceramics at La Massana in Barcelona.

• 

  DR. ZE'EV MAOR - RESIDENT SCHOLAR

  Ze`ev Maor grew up in Jerusalem and lives in Barcelona, Ze`ev holds a PhD in Philosophy (summa cum laude) from the European Graduate School (EGS) Switzerland, a Master degree in Architecture and Urban studies from Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya in Barcelona (UPC), and a Master degree in Environmental philosophy from the Hebrew university of Jerusalem. His academic Book: Mythopoetica: Holderlin and Bialik in a Hermeneutical Encounter, was published by Atropos Press, NY/Dresden 2013. As a curator and visual artist, Ze'ev has presented his work in museum exhibitions and art galleries in Israel and Europe. His writings in prose and poetry have been published in Hebrew literary journals. Ze`ev Maor is a co-founder of LABA BCN and a founding director of the: Beit Midrash for Jewish thought in Barcelona.

• 

  NOELIA BERNARDEZ - PROJECT MANAGER

  Noelia, an Argentinian historian based in Spain, specializes in Jewish history and holds an MA in Jewish Studies from the University of Heidelberg. As the Project Manager of the LABA Barcelona hub, she oversees institutional communication and event coordination, while also engaging in research on textual analysis of Second Temple period writings and actively contributing to projects promoting Jewish heritage in Catalunya, such as the Beit Midrash for Jewish Thought of Barcelona and the Mozaika platform.