Press release

For the first time our gallery will be featuring a solo exhibition of the Israeli artist Yael Bartana (born 1970) in which we will present her latest video piece (“Kings of the Hill“, 2003) following her striking piece “Trembling Time“ which was recently shown at the Manifesta 4. Numerous SUVs drive in circles on a hill near the coast of Tel Aviv. Encircled by men of all ages the vehicles tackle precarious inclinations. This scene is interspersed with women who are sitting there as if they were having a picnic.

Bartana’s image of Israel is characterized by a familiar sense of proximity. Her steady, almost frozen gaze is fixated on the constant repetition of actions that inform the unknown everyday life of her homeland but also relate even more about the absurdity of these normal rituals. Bartana asks: “In what kind of place did I grow up?“ and “How long will this torn country continue the patterns of ignorance“.

In “Profile 1“ (2000) she focuses more closely on Israel’s military service which is compulsory for both men and women, directing her gaze at shooting drills. Just as concentrated as the young women aiming their guns at a target, the camera captures the profile of these young woemn, showing hands and the details of their quick firing weapons. The frame does not take into account the target, making it impossible for the viewer to determine whether the soldiers belong to the “good“ or the “bad“ guys. Bartana is more interested in collective experiences and ritualized acts that are meant to buttress a national identity.

“Trembling Time“ (2001) deals with an aspect of collective memory related to the socalled “Soldiers Memorial Day“. While the military hymn is being played throughout all of Israel to commemorate the fallen soldiers, Bartana directs her camera from a bridge to the street that runs below it. The cars slow down, stopping in the middle of the street. Car doors open and people get out on the street. Soon the traffic begins moving again. Bartana’s interest is once again a target that evades the eye of her camera but is still at work in the realm of the visible. The deleted part which being symbolic of state power seems to define the political, public discourse, is inscribed between the individual and the social function, representing an isolated act.

Exhibitions (selection):

2003       Annet Gelink, Gallery, Amsterdam
              The Promise, The Land, O.K Center for Contemporary Art, Graz
              M_ARS - Art and War, Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz
2002       Manifesta 4, European Biennial of Contemporary Art, Frankfurt am Main
              The 4th Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju
2001       De Appel, ‘In the Meantime’’, Amsterdam
              Frankfurter Kunstverein, 'Neue Welt', Frankfurt am Main
2000       PS1, ‘Greater New York’, New York