Bezalel Ben-Chaim | בצלאל בן-חיים
Bezalel Ben-Chaim | Artist, photographer
Artist, photographer. Graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Art & Design in Jerusalem and the Midrasha School of Art, Beit Berl. My works have been exhibited in many gallery shows and museums, in Israel and abroad.
I make use of still photographs, video works and lighting installations in order to examine the world around us, universal myths and dogmas, and the very essence of my medium of choice, photography.
I am attracted to the metaphysical, the sublime, the enigmatic. To the light of the sun and the heat of the desert, to time travel and the vastness of the universe. I use the camera as a tool for distorting. time and for breaking reality into its finest particles in order to examine alternative truths and for uncovering the hidden dimensions that surround us.
I wanted to say something about something.
I wanted to say something about the struggle between light and silence, between heat and time, between nature and fear, between desert and memories. Between love and what will never happen. The struggle between darkness and action, between the future and shadows, between words and the universe. Between me and eternity.
I wanted to say something about photography.
Credit: Bar Gordon
CV
Relevant Education:
2016-2018 - Postgraduate Art Studies program (MFA Equiv), Hamidrasha School of Art, Beit-Berl, Israel
1990-1994 - BDes, Industrial Design, Bezalel Academy of Art & Design, Jerusalem, Israel
1980-1981 Photography courses, The Art Institute of Chicago
Artistic activities:
Artist Book:
2021 - The Times, 88 pg. photobook, Text: Yair Barak. Edition of 365 copies, signed and numbered
Showcased in the Artport Artist Book Fair (2022, 2023, 2024) and InPrint 2022 (2022)
Solo/ Duo Shows:
2024 - The Everyday (w/ Alma Shneor), Indie Gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Keren Zalts
2023 - White Holes. 40m long photo installation, Tel-Aviv City Hall. Curator: Avi Lubin
2023 - Black Hole. The Pumphouse Gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Hagai Ullrich
2021 - Many Moons, Eshosh Gallery, Zuqim. Curator: Hannah Rothschild
2021 - Linkage (w/ Carmit Hassine), Binyamin Gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Dveer Shaked
2018 - Time, light. Kandinof House, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Naama Klainman
2017 - Wedding season 2014-2016. Pizzaron Gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Ephrat Beloosesky
Group Shows:
2024 - Hoffmanish. A Place of Art Gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Yair Barak
2023 - About Space. Bat-Yam Museum of Art. Curator: Hila Cohen-Shneidermann
2023 - Parallel Layers. Beta Gallery, Jerusalem. Curator: Ettie Namir
2023 - Fresh Paint TLV Art Fair, Artist Selection. Curators: Yifat Gurion & Raz Shapira
2023 - Zumu - Zif-zif Hotel, Acre. Curators: Maayan Shellef & Shahar Bin-Nun
2023 - 2023 ArtPort artist book fair. Curator: Vardit Gross
2022 - Power on - street art in Tel-Aviv. Curator: Mia Anner
2022 - The High Seas. ND Gallery, Ramat-Gan. Curator: Jennifer Bloch
2022 - 2022 ArtPort artist book fair. Curator: Carmit Galili
2022 - InPrint 2022, Hansen House, Jerusalem. Curator: Jena Romano & Danielle Gorodenzik
2022 - A Night Out, Grosso Modo gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Liliana Orbach
2022 - Plan->Action, A Place of Art Gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Yair Barak
2021 - ‘1000 Meters’ Tel-Aviv Urban Art Event - Curators: Sari Golan & Yuval Saar
2021 - Dalia Amotz Retrospective. Gan Shmuel Art Gallery, Curator: Yaara Raz-Haklai
2020 - Fresh Paint TLV Art Fair, Artist Selection. Curators: Yifat Gurion & Raz Shapira
2020 - Sacred Landscapes. Mizpe Hayamim Gallery, Northern Israel. Curator: Sharon Toval
2020 - Rage & Fury: A night of video art. A Place of Art Gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Yair Barak
2019 - What the matter wants. Givon Art Forum Gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Nicola Trezzi
2019 - Guerilla Cams. Binyamin Gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Chana Anushik Manhaimer
2019 - July 4th. Hayarkon 19 Gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Miri Segal
2019 - Homage to the late Yoram Lehman. The Cube Gallery, Jerusalem. Curator: Etty Schwartz
2018 - Flexibility Exercises. Hayarkon 19 gallery, Tel-Aviv. Curator: Noga Davidson
2017 - Remote Viewing Israel-Poland, MOCAK, Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, Poland. Curators: Maayan Shellef and Agnieszka Sachar
Artist Residency:
2022 - Arad Contemporary Art Center, Arad. Curator: Lea Abir
2021 - The Center for Digital Art, Holon. Curator: Udi Edelman
Scholarships & Grants:
2024 - Rabinovitch Foundation of Art & Culture
2022 - Independent artist fund, Ministry of Sports & Culture
2021 - Just in Time Grant (Rabinovitch Foundation)
1994 - British Council scholarship, personal program (6 months) of postgraduate studies in the UK
Publications:
(2024) Hadas Kedar - Keeping the Edges Open: Towards a Curatorial Horizon in the Negev Desert - Artist Portfolio (ppg 115-123)
(2023) Punktum Magazine Vol. 5 - Artist Profile
(2015) The Archive Magazine - Artist Profile
Selected PR & Media:
2024 - About Space at MoBy Bat-Yam - Show review, Avi Pitchon, Haaretz Daily Newspaper
2023 - What else is there? - Interview, Yuval Saar, Portfolio magazine
2022 - I don’t recall such a show - Show review, Gilaad Melzer, Haaretz Newspaper
2021 - The Bleeding Wound of the Gap - Show review, Didi Kalifa, Erev-Rav Magazine
2020 - Leafing.co.il (Artbooks Blog) Interview, Shiraz Grinbaum
2020 - Fresh Paint Art Fair highlights - Show review, Avi Pitchon, Haaretz Daily Newspaper
2018 - Warming up to Greatness - Review, Hagay Hacohen, Jerusalem Post
2017 - Wedding season Show opening - TV Spot, Channel 10 News (Israeli TV)
Collections:
The Israel Knesset (Parliament) art collection, The Phoenix Israeli art collection, National Library of Israel, Tel-Aviv Museum art library, IBI Investment house art collection, Isrotel Hotel art collection