Artis

This programme of screenings and discussions surveys recent video work from Israel, examining practices that have emerged within a culture marked by the contested spaces of a militarised society and the complex emotions of life on the brink. Artists Yael Bartana, Guy Ben-Ner, and Roee Rosen will present individual focus screenings of their work. Two group screenings focused on the private and public spheres include videos by Doron Solomons, Dana Levy, Avi Mograbi, Ruti Sela & Maayan Amir, Amir Yatziv, Malki Tesler, Yossi Atia & Itamar Rose, Roee Menachem Markovich, Lior Waterman & Amit Levinger, Keren Cytter, Uri Katzenstein, Miri Segal, Shahar Markus, Boaz Arad and Keren Russo.

Curated by Sergio Edelsztein, CCA/The Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv.

Supported by Artis-Contemporary Israeli Art Fund; BIARTS-The British Israeli Arts Training Scheme, a British Council initiative in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Sport; CCA/The Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv; Outset Contemporary Art Fund; Wendy Fisher; Marion and Guy Naggar; Ostrovsky Family Fund and Vivian Ostrovsky. With special thanks to Ayelet Elstein.

Guy Ben-Ner

Friday 26 February 19.00 (90 Minutes)

Guy Ben-Ner’s playful videos mix details from everyday domestic life with references to literary and cinematic classics such as Moby Dick, Robinson Crusoe and the films of Buster Keaton. Frequently presenting the artist and his children, Ben-Ner’s work examines anxieties about work, family and consumer culture.

Followed by a Q & A with the artist.

Programme One

Saturday 27 February 15.00 (65 Minutes)

This programme presents works which address the social and personal aspects of the political situation in Israel. It includes historical works commenting directly on the second Intifada’s events, but also works about life in a militaristic society, its effect on the younger generation, and the prevailing insecurity that results. Featuring works by Doron Solomons, Dana Levy, Avi Mograbi, Ruti Sela & Maayan Amir, Amir Yatziv, Malki Tesler, Yossi Atia & Itamar Rose, Roee Menachem Markovich, and Lior Waterman & Amit Levinger.

Yael Bartana

Saturday 27 February 19.00 (70 Minutes)

Nourished by an attachment to Israel, Yael Bartana’s work offers a critical, yet undeniably poetic reflection on the relationship between the individual and society. Bartana’s videos interrogate the state of permanent war in which Israeli society finds itself.

Followed by a Q & A with the artist.

Programme Two

Sunday 28 February 14.00 (60 Minutes)

This compilation presents recent video works dealing with the search for identity, whether artistic, historical or economic. It addresses modern life through the quest for meaning in cyberspace and the shifting nature of personal relationships. Featuring works by Keren Cytter, Uri Katzenstein, Miri Segal, Shahar Markus, Boaz Arad, Keren Russo, and Doron Solomons.

Roee Rosen

Sunday 28 February 16.00 (70 Minutes)

Roee Rosen’s work scrambles fact and fiction, playfully negotiating fictional personas, cultural politics and sexuality to question the construction of history and identity. The Confessions of Roee Rosen (2008) features three illegal female foreign workers who deliver in turn a monologue conveying the artist’s fantasies – his ‘confessions.’

Followed by a Q & A with the artist.

Image: Yael Bartana, Wall and Tower, 2009.