Guy Ben-Ner
Fold along the line
16 December, 2009–28 February, 2010
Opening: 15 december 2009, 13:00hrs
Curator: Ruth Estévez
CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo
Avda. Constitución, 23
28931 Móstoles, Madrid
Spain
The CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo in Madrid and the Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil in Mexico City are pleased to present the shared exhibition Fold along the line, the first individual exhibition of the Israeli artist Guy Ben-Ner in Mexico and Spain.
Since the beginning of the nineties, Guy Ben-Ner’s (Israel, 1969) working methodology has relied on video recordings in which he and his family have played the central roles. His works propose a continuous compromise between the creation of individual identities and the existing relationships among individuals as he puts cohabitational situations into practice. Ben-Ner departs from the micro to analyze social conventions and archetypes that convert his intimate and personal stories into passages with which the spectator can identify.
Many of his videos draw inspiration from screenplays, folk stories, and novels. Analysis of these literary and cinematographic passages allows him to explore the conventions of filmic storytelling: ways of telling a story; of captivating the public through the storyline; of maintaining a degree of tension and entertainment… At the same time, Ben-Ner permeates fictional magic as he exhibits to us the entrails of the recording material without resorting to coercion, unafraid that we may be able to perceive each of his tricks. For several years, he staged his works in his family’s small apartment, rustically modified for the video recordings, always resorting to a low-tech aesthetical approach. In this video series – that expands to 2005 – the common thread becomes the study of the paternal figure, always intended for extrapolation to any person attempting to conform within a group.
Guy Ben-Ner / Biographical sketch
Born in Ramat Gan, Israel, 1969. Works in Tel-Aviv. He represented Israel at the 2005 Venice Biennale; subsequently, he exhibited his work at Münster 2007. His most recent exhibitions include Real Life at the National Gallery of Canada, in Ottawa, and his exhibitions at the MASS MOCA in Boston and Edith Russ Site for Media Art, Oldemburg. Alongside his professional career as a video artist, he is also recognized for his work as a teacher shaping the new generations of students in his country.
CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo is a dynamic arts venue devoted to cutting-edge art opened in 2008. It is home to the Contemporary Art Collection of the Regional Government of Madrid, which comprises more than 1,500 works. At the same time, it organizes an ambitious program of exhibitions, education and research, designed to earn it a place among the most advanced arts centers in Europe. Among the fundamental issues that the centre aims to address are the study of the meaning of art in modern-day culture and society; the political effectiveness of art and culture; the alternatives to traditional work models in art; the analysis of the institution art as a perpetuator of symbolic and economic power relations; concepts related to life in community and, specifically, the role of the periphery of large cities.
CA2M Opening hours:
Tuesday – Sunday 11:00 – 21:00 hrs.
Closed on Monday
CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo
Avda. Constitución, 23
28931 Móstoles, Madrid
Spain
+34 91 2760213
+34 91 6180469
centrodeartedosdemayo@madrid.org
Museo de arte Carrillo Gil
Av. Revolución 1608, San Ángel
CP 01000, Ciudad de México
www.museodeartecarrillogil.com
