Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970-2012

A video exhibition and public program tracing the development of contemporary video practice in Israel. Touring internationally, 2016–2018
About Checklist Essays

About

Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970-2012, a video exhibition and public program, traces the development of contemporary video practice in Israel and highlights work by artists who take an incisive, critical perspective towards the cultural and political landscape in Israel and beyond. Staring Back at the Sun showcases 35 works by 38 artists, including early performances, films and videos never before presented outside of Israel. Divided into four historic and thematic sections, Staring Back at the Sun focuses on the activist impulse in video art-making in Israel over the last four decades. Informed by the international history of video art, the program traces the development of the medium in Israel and explores how artists have employed technology and material to examine the sociopolitical status quo, through themes such as the prominence of political conflict in mass media; the liberalization of the economy; and the impact of free market politics on Israeli culture.

For press inquiries, more information, or to request a prospectus, please email info@artiscontemporary.org.

Checklist

Boaz Arad

(b. 1956, Afula, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

Gefilte Fish, 2005, 10:54 minutes

Yossi Atia & Itamar Rose

Yossi Atia (b. 1979, Jerusalem, Israel, based in Tel Aviv), Itamar Rose (b. 1979, Tel Aviv, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

The State of Judeo-Arabia, 2007, 4:33 minutes

Yael Bartana

(b. 1970, Kfar-Yehezkel, Israel, based in Berlin and Tel Aviv)

Kings of the Hill, 2003, 7:45 minutes

Irit Batsry

(b. 1957, Ramat Gan, Israel, based in New York)

The Roman Wars: 1983, 1983, 6:00 minutes

Guy Ben-Ner

(b. 1969, in Ramat Gan, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

Moby Dick, 2000, 12:39 minutes

Hila Lulu Lin

(b. 1964 Afula, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

No More Tears, 1994, 2:42 minutes

Michael Druks

(b. 1940, Jerusalem, based in London)

Play-Box London, 1975, 7:56 minutes (excerpt of 22:41)

Benni Efrat

(b. 1936, Beirut, Lebanon, based in Tel Aviv)

Relay, 1974, 3:48 minutes

Avraham Eilat

(b. 1939, Tel Aviv, Israel, based in Ein Hod, Israel and Dusseldorf, Germany)

Run, 1971, 3:36 minutes

Nir Evron

(b. 1974, Herzliya, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

A Free Moment, 2011, 4:00 minutes

Yair Garbuz

(b. 1945, Givatayim, Israel, based in Ramat Gan, Israel)

Lists, 1974, 2:10 minutes (excerpt of 20:00)

Gideon Gechtman

(b. 1942, Alexandria, Egypt - 2008)

Exposure, 1975, 3:43 minutes

Moshe Gershuni

(b.1936, Tel Aviv, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

Crawling, 1970, 0:32 minutes

Tamar Getter

(b. 1953, Tel Aviv, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

Golem, 1974-5, 3:36 minutes (excerpt of 6:18)

Dor Guez

(b. 1980, Jerusalem, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

(Sa)Mira, 2009, 13:40 minutes

Sigalit Landau

(b. 1969, Jerusalem, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

DeadSee, 2005, 11:39 minutes

Raffi Lavie

(b. 1937, Tel Aviv, Mandate Palestine - 2007)

Geranium , 1974, 4:13 minutes (excerpt of 10:00)

Motti Mizrachi

(b. 1946, Tel Aviv, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

Healing, 1980, 4:35 minutes (excerpt of 20:00)

Avi Mograbi

(b. 1956, Tel Aviv, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

Mrs. Goldstein, 2006, 9:00 minutes

Michal Naaman

(b. 1951, Kvutzat Kinneret, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

Peeling, 1974, 4:23 minutes

Joshua Neustein

(born 1940, Danzig, Poland, based in New York)

Progression Succession, 1972, 3:31 minutes, (excerpt of 20:16)

Miri Nishri

(b. 1950, Bogota, Colombia, based in Tel Aviv)

Blue Blue, 1980, 6:32 minutes (excerpt of 19:10)

Dov Or-Ner

(b. 1927, Paris, France, based in Kibbutz Hatzor, Israel)

Pharavizia, 1980, 2:23 minutes (excerpt of 6:22)

Nira Pereg

(b. 1969, Tel Aviv, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

ABRAHAM ABRAHAM SARAH SARAH, 2012, 4:10 minutes

Gilad Ratman

(b. 1975, Haifa, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

Che Che the Gorgeous, 2005, 9:22 minutes

Roee Rosen

(b. 1963, Rehovot, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

Confessions Coming Soon, 2007, 8:40 minutes

Buky Schwartz

(b. 1932, Jerusalem, Israel - 2009)

Videoconstructions, 1978-80, 10:01 minutes (excerpt of 29:40)

Ruti Sela and Maayan Amir

Ruti Sela (b. 1974, Jerusalem, Israel, based in Tel Aviv), Maayan Amir (b. 1978, Hadera, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

Beyond Guilt, 2003, 10:00 minutes

Henry Shelesnyak

(b. 1938, New York, US - 1980)

Circus, 1979, 4:33 minutes (excerpt of 14:00)

Ran Slavin

(b. 1967, Jerusalem, Israel, based in Tel Aviv)

Omni Presence, 1995/1997, 3:15 minutes (excerpt of 8:39)

Doron Solomons

(b. 1969, London, based in Tel Aviv)

Father, 2002, 13:35 minutes

Micha Ullman

(b. 1939, Tel Aviv, Israel, based in Ramat Hasharon, Israel)

Place, 1975, 10:08 minutes (excerpt of 20:00)

Rona Yefman

(b. 1972, Haifa, Israel, based in New York)

Pippi L. Strongest Girl in the World! at Abu Dis, 2006/2008, 3:43 minutes

Dan Zakhem

(b. 1958, Tel Aviv, Israel - 1994)

The Babel Party: A Fictitious Political Party, 1984, 3:42 minutes

Nana and Boaz Zonshine

Nana (b. 1963, Beer Sheva, Israel, based in Clil, Israel), Boaz (b. 1962, Beer Sheva, Israel, based in Clil, Israel)

Untitled, 1996, 1:30 minutes

Essays

Exhibition Forward

By Yael Reinharz

Program Overview

Curators: Yael Bartana, Ilana Tenenbaum, Avi Feldman, Sergio Edelsztein

Staring Back at the Sun: How Video Art in Israel Evolved and Why it Matters

By Chen Tamir

Early Experiments in Film and Video: 1970-1980

By Ilana Tenenbaum

An Art Form Coming into its Own: 1980-1997

By Ilana Tenenbaum

The Rise of the Medium: 1997-2005

By Sergio Edelsztein

State of Amnesia: 2005-2012

By Yael Bartana and Avi Feldman

Resources on the Development of Video Practices in and from Israel

Program partners

Public Programs

Public Program
Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970–2012 at Hauser Wirth Schimmel
Hauser Wirth & SchimmelLos Angeles, CaliforniaNovember 19, 2016
Public Program
Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970–2012 at Towson University
Towson University Center for the ArtsTowson, MarylandFebruary 4–April 3, 2016
Public Program
Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970–2012 at The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery
The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore CollegeSaratoga Springs, New YorkMarch 21–March 22, 2018
Public Program
Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970–2012 at Casa do Povo
Casa do PovoSão Paulo, BrazilNovember 25–December 1, 2016
Public Program
Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970–2012 at The Koffler Centre of the Arts
Koffler GalleryToronto, CanadaNovember 5, 2017
Public Program
Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970–2012 at Times Square
ZAZ10TSNew York, NYNovember 29, 2017–January 5, 2018
Public Program
Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970–2012 at Lightbox Film Center
Lightbox Film CenterPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaNovember 1–November 3, 2018
Public Program
Staring Back at the Sun: Video Art from Israel, 1970–2012 at the New Museum
New MuseumNew York, NYFebruary 20–February 21, 2016

Participants