Gili Avissar

Gili Avissar (Haifa, 1980) combines painting, sculpture, video, performance and dance in his work. The artist originally wanted to study fashion, but found more freedom in art. His work focuses on textile entities and fantastic creatures that move between people, animals and plants, emphasizing transformation processes. He often uses his body as a canvas, producing works that are also costumes for videos and performances. Over the last years Avissar has collaborated with performers, dancers and choreographers, each time allowing the other artists interpret his work in a new way, creating stage and costume design for dance and theater productions, among which are the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Frankfurt, Theater Freiburg, The Israel Festival and Theater & Orchester Heidelberg. Practicing Empathy #3 (2021) Simple action (2017) and Common Emotion (2016) are three dance pieces were Avissar also designed the stage, costumes and objects for the Yasmeen Godder Dance Company.

Avissar has won various grants and art prizes, among them from the Culture Ministry Award, IL (2023), Stiftug Künstlerdorf Schöppingen, DE (2021), The Artis Grant, US (2019, 2020), The Artport Residency Program in Tel Aviv (2016-2017), Israel Lottery Council for Culture and Arts (2016, 2017, 2019), Rabinovitch Art Foundation, IL (2010, 2012, 2019), The Young Artist Award, IL (2012), The Isracard and Tel Aviv Museum of Art Prize, IL (2010) and The Bronner / Goethe / NRW Residency Exchange Program, Düsseldorf, DE (2010).

Education:

2007-2009 M.F.A Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, [cum laude], Jerusalem/Tel Aviv, IL

2003 Exchange program at the Glasgow School of Art, UK

1999-2003 B.F.A Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, IL

Selected Exhibitions and Large Scale Projects:

2023 Kunst Im Park - Skulpturen Biennale, Bad Homburg, DE

2022 Terra incognita – Questions to the Earth, Lantz´s Sculpture Park, Düsseldorf, DE

2022 Breathing Water, Drinking Air, Sammlung PHILARA, Düsseldorf, DE

2021 Practicing Empathy #3, Objects for Yasmeen Godder Dance Company, Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Frankfurt, DE

2019 My Queen, what is coming out of your Ass, Habait Theater, Tel Aviv – Jaffa, IL

2019 Other Skies #2, Overall, Tower of David, Jerusalem, IL

2018 Other Skies #1, The Teder - collaboration with the Tel Aviv Museum, Tel Aviv, IL

2017 100 Abstract Flags, Mekudeshet Festival, Jerusalem, IL

Date of 1st residency: 14. 9. 2017 –20. 11. 2017 
Date of 2nd residency: 5. 6. 2023 – 31. 7. 2023