Yael Bartana
October 19, 2008—May 4, 2009
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center presents the work of Yael Bartana, whose work investigates society and politics. Over the last several years, she has become known for her complex visualizations in the forms of photography, film, video, and sound works and installations. Whereas largely known in Europe, her work has not been as present in the U.S. until now. On view in the First Floor Drawing and Painting Galleries from October 19, 2008 until January 26, 2009, this is Bartana’s first solo exhibition at a New York institution.
The exhibition is comprised of five works, including Trembling Time (2001), Kings of the Hill (2003), Low Relief II (2004), Wild Seeds (2005), and Summer Camp (2007), which provide an introduction to the past seven years of Bartana’s artistic practice. Her work creates a revealing ambivalence between playfulness and serious topics, time looped and halted, material from documentation and re-enactments.
Yael Bartana (b. 1970, Afula, Israel) lives and works in Amsterdam and Tel Aviv. She has had numerous solo exhibitions including: Foksal Gallery, Warsaw, Poland (2008); Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, Israel (2008); The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada (2007); Kunstverein Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany (2006); Museum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland (2005); Sommer Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, Israel (2004); MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (2004).
She has also been included in many group exhibitions including: Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, United Kingdom (2008); Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon, Spain (2008); Documenta 12, Kassel, Germany (2007); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (2007); Centre Pompidou, Paris, France (2007); 27th Bienal de São Paulo, Brasil (2007); Tàpies Foundation, Barcelona, Spain (2006); and the 9th Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey (2005).
Yael Bartana
Kings of the Hill (2003)
7 min 30 sec, mini DV & DVD, PAL, color, sound
Courtesy of Annet Gelink Gallery Amsterdam, Sommer Contemporary Art Tel-Aviv, and the artist
Yael Bartana
Summer
Camp
2007
Video- und Toninstallation, 12 Min
Courtesy Annet Gelink Gallery,
Amsterdam and Sommer Contemporary
Art Gallery,
Tel Aviv
Photo: Matthew Septimus. Courtesy P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
Yael Bartana
Wild Seeds
2005
6 min 40 sec, mini DV & DVD, PAL, color, sound
Two channel video and sound installation (projection 1: Image, projection 2:
subtitles)
Courtesy Annet Gelink Gallery,
Amsterdam and Sommer Contemporary
Art Gallery,
Tel Aviv
Photo: Matthew Septimus. Courtesy
P.S.1 Contemporary
Art Center
Organized by Klaus
Biesenbach, Chief Curator, Department of Media, The Museum of Modern
Art and P.S.1 Chief Curatorial Advisor.
The exhibition is made possible by David Teiger and The International
Council of The Museum
of Modern Art.
Additional funding is provided by Artis - Contemporary Israeli Art Fund, The Consulate General of the Netherlands
in New York, and Office of Cultural Affairs,
Consulate General of Israel.
The accompanying publication is made possible by Artis - Contemporary Israeli Art Fund.