The exhibit “Selected works from the Centre Pompidou New Media Collection” will open at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, as part of Videozone 5, the 5th International Video Art Biennial in Israel. On opening night, November 27, 2010, visual artist Majida Khattari will present a performance in collaboration with students from Shenkar College of Engineering and design. In conjunction with the exhibit, a symposium on contemporary video art with Christine Van Assche, Chief Curator of the New Media Collection of the Centre Pompidou will take place on November 28, 2010 at Rothschild 12 in Tel Aviv.
Khattari creates sculptural clothing designs that are a reflection on the situation of Muslim women in society, often presenting these works as performance art in the format of a fashion show. Born in 1966 in Morocco, Khattari graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1995, and resides there. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and she has staged performances in at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, the gallery Thaddeus Ropac, the Théâtre de la maison des cultures du monde and the Centre Georges Pompidou. In an article on Fance 24 following one of her performances relating to the current debate over the burqa in France, Khattari was quoted as saying, “”I find that every time there is a crisis, the female body comes under fire, and I can’t help wondering about this phenomenon.”
Curated by Christine Van Assche, Chief Curator of the New Media Collection of the Centre Pompidou, and Gila Limon, curator of the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, the exhibit includes works by leading video artists such as Bill Viola (b. 1951 USA), Bruce Nauman (b. 1941 USA) and Jordi Colomer (b. 1962 Spain). The first part of the exhibit focuses on those pioneers of this relatively new art form in their conflicted relationship with television. Originating in the same technology, it arouses both the interest and criticism of the video artists, and several of the works featured address television and its impact on society.
The second part of the exhibit includes more contemporary works that relate to social, cultural and economic issues. Many of the artists explore the effect of changing demographics on culture, changes within the family structure and the impact of intercultural exchange on society. Immigration, legal and illegal, and its consequences – the linguistic and cultural barriers confronted by immigrants, are explored in these works.
The French Institute and the Rothschild 69 Project in collaboration with the Herzliya Museum for Contemporary Art and the Centre Pompidou present a symposium on current issues in Video Art which will take place on November 28, 2010 from 9:30 – 14:00, with Christine Van Assche, Chief Curator of the New Media Collection of the Centre Pompidou at Rothschild 12, Tel Aviv.
Selected works from the Centre Pompidou New Media Collection
Will open at the Herzliya Museum for Contemporary Art
On November 27, 2010 at 20:00
4 Habanim Street Herzliya 09-9551011
The French Embassy in Israel has graciously shared with Midnight East images from the works of the participating artists. Image credits:
URSULA BIEMANN, B. 1955 in Zurich Switzerland (lives and works in Zurich),
Still from Performing the Border
1999
Videotape, color, 42’
Collection du Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne, Paris
Image courtesy of the artist
JOHAN GRIMONPREZ, B. 1962 in Trinidad and Tobago (lives and works in Belgium)
Still from Double Take,
2009
Installation, color, 80’
Collection du Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne, Paris
Courtesy: Universal and Zapomatik
LAURA WADDINGTON, B.1970 in London (lives and works in Lisbon, Paris and Barcelona)
Still from Cargo
Videotape, color, 29’ loop
Collection du Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne, Paris
Image courtesy of the artist
A complete schedule for Videozone 5 can be found on the Center for Contemporary Art (CCA) site.
