Print Fair in Tel Aviv brings together photographers to showcase their art

The show runs again from December 6 to 8 at the Print House on Hazerem Street in south Tel Aviv.

By SHIRLEY FINKELSTEIN
Photos on display at the Print Fair in Tel Aviv (photo credit: SHIRLEY FINKELSTEIN)
Photos on display at the Print Fair in Tel Aviv
(photo credit: SHIRLEY FINKELSTEIN)
‘She is unbelievable. She studies in Cirque du Soleil and here I just feel like she’s jumping to another dimension and he is like – shooting her – and I see here it’s like killing. Because in photography – it’s like we try to kill the moment and make it stay forever,” photographer Rina Korchminsky said of her photo “Circus Game.”
“So here in the moment I feel exactly like her,” Korchminsky said. “We have to jump into another unknown if you want to come to another level in your life. And this is the way I like to live my life. Every time I feel like I have to go to another level, without having something in my hands.”
Korchminsky, 43, picked up photography three years ago and has been working on her art ever since. She said she took the shot on Layla Lavan, an all-night city-wide celebration.
“I took 100 pictures and this is one of them,” the photographer said.
Korchminsky showcased this piece at the Print Fair, a photo exhibit at Tel Aviv’s photo studio, the Print House, that ran for a few days at the end of November into December and will be on display again this weekend. Organizers said they had to extend the fair due to the high interest of people, the many visitors who came and the need to accommodate those who couldn’t make it last weekend.
The event curator, Etty Schwartz, explained the idea of the event is to bring good photography to young people at prices that they can afford. The show had many different types of artists – some young, some old, some highly recognizable in the business and some novice students. Out of 150 photographers, the show featured some popular artists like Sigalit Landau, Yotam Frum and Haaretz’s Daniel Tchetchik, Dor Kedmi and Tomer Applebaum.
Organizers reached out to artists on Facebook using an open call to attract photographers. Three hundred people submitted portfolios and 150 were selected. Artists were given no guidelines about what type of pieces to submit and were able to choose the prices of their works themselves. The minimum selling price was NIS 400 and maximum NIS 2,000.
Around 120 people bought pieces to take home, but some didn’t “have any good things to say” about the goods. That’s according to one browser who didn’t want to use her name for this article.
 “I think they did two bars on it. It’s actually disappointing because the prints are super expensive and I wouldn’t say its not worth it, but I thought it would be more fair for the buyer. Some of the images are great and some of them are ridiculous for the price they are asking for.”
When inquiring if print fairs are a frequent activity for her, she answered: “When they seem to be nice I don’t hesitate to come. But they’re usually disappointing.”
A friend chimed in: “I agree with this – it’s very unaffordable – especially for just a print.”
ARTIST DAVID HAVRONI has been in touch with the Print House since his college days. He graduated in 2014 from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Post asked him how he came up with the prices for his works.
“I tried to be as cheap as I could,” Havroni said. “I think the minimum is NIS 400 to 2,000 and I am selling a bigger print for 600 shekels each. For me it’s very important that if someone would like my work – to live with my work or to buy my work, that he can do it.
Before the interview with Havroni was officially over, he said he had one last comment: “I’m happy with what I am doing.”
Peruser Ido Porath said he frequents art shows around once a month and was looking to spend around NIS 500 – maybe a little more, for something great.
“It’s always good to have a look,” Porath said. “I am looking for someone called Noam Levinger. He’s a friend and a really great artist. He takes amazing photos. Maybe I am starting to be an art collector?” Porath questioned aloud.
Schwartz, the curator, said she was pleased with the variety of pieces submitted.
“I have to say the selection was more than what you see on Instagram,” she said. “It’s not just photographing your plate and the food that you ate. It’s more thinking about your environment.”
“We have an amazing selection of photographers,” Schwartz said. “We have expensive photographers here and people can have their photos in their house. We want people to be in the habit of buying art for their home, to have a chance to look around, see what you like, get connected, not in a gallery – not in a museum.”
Though there were so many pieces in the fair, Schwartz noticed there were few dealing with politics.
“You can feel that people are very aware of their interior environments,” she said. “A lot of people are dealing with sensual issues.”
The show runs again from December 6 to 8 at the Print House on Hazerem Street in south Tel Aviv. All of the photos in the fair can be seen on the website theprinthouse.co.il. There one can also select a frame to match the purchased print.


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