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30. 07. 2019Rezident
MERAV KAMEL & HALIL BALABIN (ISR)
Merav Kamel a Halil Balabin are the artist in residence at Studio PRÁM for July. Their residency stay is ended with their solo exhibition, which will be curated by Šárka Koudelová. The exhibition opening is on Tuesday 23rd July, 2019.
Merav Kamel and Halil Balabin are an artist duo based in Tel-Aviv, working together since 2012.
Their work with fabric brings out an associative way of thought — the attachment of different organs born of amputations, hybridizations and compositions that create a new object. They are mutations of lust and fantasy with a humorous tone, which mix together an array of familiar images: Cartoons, surrealism, poeticism, a mélange of the high and low, art history, and the conflicted and bizarre space of Israel.
They are the material embodiment of little jokes, witticisms, wordplay, and twisted historical quotes, charmed by the bland and prosaic, unfunny jokes, vulgarities, and social and political criticism. They involve bold images with a hidden sting, and this is also how they act on the viewer: Sweetly seductive, and then painful and thought-provoking, as the story of each sculpture is exposed. The sculptures are hand-sewn, with great attention to details. These works echo folkloric traditions in Israeli art, and add new layers to them.
Their joint work cancels the masculine-feminine dichotomy of their works, and allows a fluid gender identity. An ever-changing, androgynous being is formed, with the ability to play more than one character.
