What artists are doing now. Erez Israeli in Berlin
An inspiration and mutual solidarity project for the creative industries
In the current situation, clearly our top priority is to take care of our families, friends and fellow citizens. Nevertheless, while public life is paralyzed and museums, galleries and cultural institutions are closed, in many of us, neither the urge to work nor the creative spark have disappeared. In fact, quite the opposite is happening, in what is turning out to be a time that befits self-reflection and the generation of new ideas for the future. Although we are at home and self-isolating, we all – artists, creatives and Arterritory.com – continue to work, think and feel. As a sort of gesture of inspiration and ‘remote’ mutual solidarity, we have launched a project titled 'What Artists Are Doing Now', with the aim of showing and affirming that neither life nor creative energy are coming to a stop during this crisis. We have invited artists from all over the world to send us a short video or photo story illustrating what they are doing, what they are thinking, and how they are feeling during this time of crisis and self-isolation. All artist stories will be published on Arterritory.com and on our Instagram and Facebook accounts. We at Arterritory.com are convinced that creativity and positive emotions are good for the immune system and just might help us better navigate through these difficult times.
From his home in Berlin, Israeli artist Erez Israeli answers a short questionnaire by Arterritory.com:
Are you working on any projects right now in your studio? If so, could you briefly describe them?
Given the situation, I prefer not to go out so much, and instead stay in doing “Home Studio”. My partner also needs to work from home, so it’s nice to go through this together; he was also worried about me travelling to my studio with public transportation. I bought a cute table stand, small canvases, many watercolour papers, acrylic paints (because of the smell) and watercolours. I continue the same ideas I’ve been dealing with for the last year in the studio, but on a smaller scale. It gives me the possibility to reflect these ideas in other ways, express new thoughts and ideas, or just draw what I see around myself. It is a different way of working than at the studio, where I used to work alone in a ‘studio-zone’ in terms of time and dynamics. At home there is another person and two cats exploring you, and working is done in between the making of lunch and the ‘bip-bip-bip’ of the laundry machine indicating that yet another cycle is done.
What is your recipe for survival in a time of almost only bad news?
Well, of course, it is a good time to be with your family, supporting them, learning new ways of communication, respecting and creating space for each other, and most important of all, to accept everything in proportion and keep smiling. But my real ‘recipe’ is baking. I don’t know if it is the years of sculpting experience using my hands in different materials, but I found out I’m very good with dough! I love it! It is very relaxing and the whole house enjoys the good smell and eating my ‘creations’. And you don’t need to go out to buy bread. Although, without any exercise this can quickly become tragic, so TRX [Total Resistance exercises – Ed.] can help (but you need to take it out of the box first).
If you find out you are not all that good when it comes to baking, you can always mix what is left from the flour with water and toilet paper (it seems that everybody has at least some extra now) and create sculptures with your family – it’s fun. (For colours you can always use spices from the kitchen. It’s good for the environment too, so here you go – Art and Education in one).
Visit artist websites. It’s the best studio visit you can get right now.
What is something that we all (each of us, personally) could do to make the world a better place when this disaster comes to an end? It is clear that the world will no longer be the same again, but at the same time...there is a kind of magic in every new beginning.
First, go visit your parents and give them big hugs. I’m sure they miss you very much and the grandchildren too (cats included), and don’t forget to bring one of your best baking creations that you have had enough time to practice making. (Or one of your toilet paper sculptures. Even if it’s bad, they will say it is amazing and will not throw it away, just like they kept your ‘art pieces’ form kindergarten).
One of the nice results we can already feel is the air, which is much cleaner now, and bright skies. We all can walk more and ride bikes; we’re already doing it now when we need to buy more toilet paper (just try to find the kind made from recycled fiber). And finally, go see exhibitions or even buy art, so that we all can continue to enjoy culture. Here I want to mention the good approach of Germany as being one of the few countries that really supports artists and have included them and galleries in the government assistance package during these challenging times.
Keep Safe.
Erez Israeli Photo: Sorin Manole
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Erez Israeli uses sculpture, painting and video to investigate death and bereavement in relation with to the Israeli identity and post-Holocaust Europe. He is a graduate of the HaAmidrash School of Arts and the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. He has exhibited at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art; the Israel Museum, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw; the Venice Biennale for Architecture; Martin Gropius Bau Berlin, and elswwhere.
