The story of FHX and Future Plans | Aya Ben Ron
Throughout my career as an artist, I have explored the potential of art as a medium for social engagement, with particular attention to the dynamics between power and vulnerability. My work critically examines representations of physical, mental, and social “illness” and the ways in which our personal and collective experience of illness is shaped. By employing multi-layered and often indirect visual strategies, I create encounters that challenge normative perceptions and open space for reflection on susceptibility, trauma, and personal and collective responsibility.
I work across varied artistic practices to develop immersive, site-specific installations that enhance viewer engagement. I have collaborated with major medical institutions in the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, and Israel, where I conducted extensive fieldwork and integrated emotionally complex artworks into existing institutional settings. These collaborations were grounded in close engagement with institutional staff and daily routines, allowing for contextual responsiveness and relevance.
Out of these experiences, I developed Field Hospital X for Social Ills (FHX), an ongoing participatory art initiative that engages the public in direct, emotionally charged encounters with pressing social issues. FHX was conceived in response to both systemic injustices and personal history, including my own experience of childhood abuse and its long-term silencing. The project confronts topics such as domestic abuse, xenophobia, racism, violence against transgender individuals, and military occupation. It continues to evolve to address additional forms of social harm and mechanisms of denial.
From the outset, I conceived FHX as a living platform that evolves with each location, adding new care-areas, updated content and new audiences.
Venice – introduced FHX’s core framework: FHX was launched in 2019 when it was selected to represent Israel at the 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, one of the world’s most prestigious art event. Operating within the three-floor Israeli Pavilion, FHX drew over 80,000 participants, many of whom reported being deeply affected by the experience. The audience included individuals and organised groups, international cultural practitioners, curators, artists, educators, and students from various backgrounds (Curator Avi Lubin, Producer Mik Gov).
FHX-Online – Developed digital participatory tools and group participation: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, FHX transitioned from 2020 to 2021 to an online format (FHX-Online), allowing for an intimate group experience in a virtual space. Participants included high school teachers and educational facilitators.
Muza – broadened to civic and institutional audiences: In 2022, FHX was installed at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv. The audience included organised groups of social workers, health professionals, municipal employees, soldiers, Ministry of Education staff, and art audiences, reflecting the project’s growing resonance across sectors (Curator Avi Lubin, Producer Mik Gov).
I have intentionally and gradually expanded the reach of FHX beyond the traditional art world, cultivating dialogue with professionals and institutions in education, healthcare, and the social sciences. This cross-sector engagement has been central to the project’s development and impact.
University of Haifa – anchored FHX as a long-term academic infrastructure: In 2024, FHX was integrated into the University of Haifa as part of the Faculty of Welfare and Health Sciences. It became an interdisciplinary academic platform for research, development, and reflection on social illness and mechanisms of denial. In this educational context, FHX has served students and faculty from the Faculties of Welfare and Health Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, providing a unique learning environment grounded in affective experience and ethical inquiry. In 2025, it moved to a permanent home within the Faculty of Education, where it continues to develop.
FHX sustained impact on thousands of participants over the years has led to new interdisciplinary collaborations with scholars across fields. It provides a distinctive opportunity to examine the transformative power of art in provoking awareness, dialogue, and social change.
Since its inception in 2016, FHX has remained the central focus of my work, embodying my commitment to art as a catalyst for change, critique, and public engagement.
Future Plans
Building on this trajectory of development, I aim to develop FHX as a research-based, practice-led model for socially engaged art in academic and community settings. I plan to expand its theoretical and methodological framework by collaborating with humanities, social sciences, education, health, and art scholars. These collaborations will explore the ethical, pedagogical, and affective dimensions of socially engaged art and the role of art-based interventions in contexts of trauma, exclusion, and institutional neglect.
A central goal is to integrate FHX into formal educational systems in Israel. I am developing and adjusting FHX’s content for high schools, teacher training, and medicine programs in academic institutions.
Finally, I am exploring the development of satellite versions of FHX in other countries, adapted to local social issues and cultural contexts. These satellites will serve as both artistic spaces and collaborative laboratories for critical inquiry, experiential learning, and civic engagement. I aim to solidify FHX as a long-term, interdisciplinary infrastructure for public reflection, community resilience, and transformative pedagogy.
I am currently writing on a book about FHX that combines visuals, personal and theoretical writing, along with research and reflections on its development from its early roots. The book traces FHX’s evolution from a personal and artistic crisis to an institutional platform for social critique and public engagement.