Off the wall

The first Art TLV Festival in Nachalat Binyamin is the place for "fringe in Israel."

By ASI GAL
sculpture art 88 224 (photo credit: Courtesy)
sculpture art 88 224
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The Balcony was a mythic pub in Tel Aviv's Nahalat Binyamin. It used to hold an open stage for aspiring artists of all varieties. With its central location and laissez-faire attitude it gave the feeling that fringe culture was happening in Tel Aviv. But it closed down, as did many other places that featured art on the edge. Their closing raised the questions, "Is there a place for fringe in Israel?" and "Is there an audience?" The Pais Municipality for Arts Culture says yes and supports the new innovative art zone at the first Art TLV Festival in Nachalat Binyamin. Itay Mautner, curator along with Michal Helfman, has been around the fringe art circuit for quite some time now. He had a late-night-culture show on channel 2 called Ba Balayla and is currently the editor of the cultural magazine 360 degrees. Although Mautner has seen many exhibitions, he is particularly excited about Art TLV. "This exhibition is an experiment," he says, "it's the first time such a massive and ambitious art event is taking place." The unique aspect of the exhibition is the freedom it gives the artist. Several artists were chosen to show their works at five locales, one of which is the aforementioned (now renovated) Balcony. The artists were allowed to set up a month and a half prior to the opening. "Usually when an artist has a showing of his work, he receives a gallery and his entire life is tied to the show. He has to choose his works and the way they will be exhibited. In Art TLV the exhibition meets the artist at their work process. Their space is open and changeable. There is no theme to the show and we, the curators, can't cut anything." The involved artists are very happy with the theme, or lack thereof. For example, at Balcony, musician Ohad Pishof and artist Sigalit Landau, along with six others including Yishai Hadar and Uri Efrati, are exhibiting a 40-60 minute mixed media course that includes sculpture, dance, music and a live performance of "Bnei Ha'Ma (Sons of What)", the new electro rock pop duo of Hadar and Pishof. Pishof told Mautner that he usually hates premieres with their forced deadlines and the accompanying pressure and expectations. However, this time he felt no pressure since "the artist is his own king, the premiere is his own making". At Pillar House three projects including Doron Rabina, Lior Zionov and Nimrod Matan's "A Barbershop for Foreign Workers." It is modeled on a real barber shop that becomes a makeshift community center for the foreign workers after business hours. After an hour of Mautner trying to explain to me terms such as Wittgenstein and looking at the adjusting pictures, I'm still unclear on what exactly I will see at the exhibition. But I'm pretty sure Mautner likes that. The Art TLV Festival takes place at Nahalat Binyamin and 69 Rothschild St. Tel Aviv from September 27 to October 18. Tickets are NIS 25. For more details go to www.arttlv.com