False Gods

False Gods is a two-part inflatable installation exploring the fragile intersection between fear, faith, and the mythologies we create to feel safe. A towering Golem looms outside—a symbol of protection turned hollow idol—installed at Turm 20, one of Linz’s historic Maximilian Towers, originally built to defend the city but soon rendered obsolete. Inside, a flickering, iridescent Flame pulses quietly, offering no salvation, only presence. Drawing from Jewish folklore and the artist’s lived experience between two countries devastated by war, the work reflects on what we build to feel safe and what parts of ourselves are sacrificed when walls rise and idols take shape. Created by an artist born in Ukraine and living in Israel—two places fractured by war—the project confronts the tension between fragile hope and hollow power.