Chantal Akerman, an experimental film director. Her works remind me of the basic need to experience and reflect upon our surroundings. In her films, the nonsense of art and life connect, and so do the tragedy and comedy of life. One of her most famous films is Jeanne Dielman, a three-hour-long film about a prostitute and her relationship with her child. In Akerman's work, the drama is always in the spirit of things rather than on the surface. She situates her work in the inner space rather than the visible reality. In my work, I always try to notice when the drama becomes too obvious and avoid such places. I believe the viewer should have some sort of gap, or space, to decide what they feel.
I am drawn to people who use movement and don’t feel a need to use verbal language. I think the absence of verbal language allows the spectator to suspend their interpretation and let the body, movement, and touch take center stage.
In my works, the body is conflictual. We experience the world through our bodies, which are always threatened by exterior forces. The body is exposed and fragile, yet it also enables great freedom. My work expresses this conflicted position between exposure to potential damage and very strong control.
A few years ago, I got into Hunter College in NYC, and a month before I was supposed to move, I decided not to. I realized that moving away from my surroundings and the people closest to me was not the right decision. These relationships are important for me and my practice. For me, New York City represented the opposite of such closeness – it is a city in which, in order to get ahead, you must detach yourself and present yourself constantly, using your origins in an over-simplified manner. I decided to stay in Israel and completed my MFA at Bezalel instead. I am very pleased with this decision.
Tamar Katz, 32, performance and video artist. Lives and works in Tel Aviv.
