Holyland Civilians x Asif - Culinary Institute of Israel
“We’ll Be Right Back: The Myths of Food Advertising”
When food becomes myth and advertising becomes memory, culture turns edible. This capsule was commissioned as official merchandise for “We’ll Be Right Back: The Myths of Food Advertising,” an exhibition at Asif - the Culinary Institute of Israel. Asif is a nonprofit cultural center devoted to researching, preserving, and celebrating the diverse food cultures of Israel through exhibitions, a culinary library, a research kitchen, a restaurant, and public programming.
The collaboration united two practices rooted in local culture, each working through a different material language - flavor and fabric. Together, we examined how four everyday products became icons of identity, and how advertising shaped collective desire, nostalgia, and belonging.
JAFFA ORANGES
Once a symbol of national export success, the orange is reimagined through the biblical story of the twelve spies returning with fruit from the land. Here, the grape cluster is replaced with a radiant orange, merging scripture, agriculture, and branding into a renewed emblem of identity.
BLACK TURKISH COFFEE
Black coffee evokes field trips, reserve duty, and male camaraderie. Advertising cultivated the image of the decisive man who brews the perfect cup, “strong” and “hot.” The garment revisits this ritual, questioning how masculinity is staged through repetition and narrative.
HUMMUS
The word “Original” appears in English, Arabic, and Hebrew, reflecting the competitive pursuit of authenticity surrounding hummus branding. The trilingual typography reveals how claims of origin become cultural currency, negotiated through language and packaging.
COTTAGE CHEESE
Cottage cheese is reframed as a symbol of the ideal home. For decades, advertising positioned this simple dairy product as shorthand for domestic stability and aspiration. The design exposes how the “dream home” was constructed and sold through images of purity and comfort.