“I pack my bags” with Gili Avissar
The Israeli artist, Gili Avissar, will be guesting at the Marta Herford for the exhibition “Look! Revelations on Art and Fashion”. A performance with his works will take place at the opening. Here the self-tailored sculptures, as can also be seen in the exhibition, become impressive costumes. Gili Avissar spoke to Esther von Kiedrowski, an intern in the curatorial team, and told her about the things that accompany him on his travels.
The work of Gili Avissar (*1980 Haifa, IL, lives in Tel Aviv and Düsseldorf) combines various disciplines such as painting, sculpture, video, performance and dance. He originally wanted to study fashion design, but then decided to study art. His passion for unusual clothing is also manifested in his self-tailored sculptures that he makes from fabrics, ropes and other materials. Then he uses his own body as a kind of “canvas” by creating costumes for him to slip into.
“My sketchbook: I carry it with me wherever I go. Sometimes I forget my wallet, phone, or keys at home. But before I leave the house, I usually feel my bag to check if my sketchbook is there. I don’t necessarily write or draw daily, and hardly ever when I’m outside my home or studio, but somehow it reassures me to know that I have it with me.”
“White dots underwear: I did those while I was staying at Stiftung Künstlerdorf Schöppingen, I hope I can use it for the performance I will do in the opening at Marta. When I do performances with my wearable objects I like that everything that is covering my body or the body of the performer is my own creation.”
“Noa Reshef, White Horse and Rain Background: unfortunately I can’t bring Noa to Marta Herford. She is a friend and fantastic performance artist from Tel Aviv, and actually wanted to work here with me. I hope, however, that I can transport her spirit here, by bringing some of the objects that I realized during my stay in Schöppingen to the open Atelier Workshop at Marta in September. Then I won’t be starting off in an empty room and will feel more at home. All of the things that were created in Schöppingen were made from materials that I received from people in the village – used clothes, bed sheets, curtains etc.”
“My mobile: sometimes I break it, accidently or on purpose, since the addiction I have for some of the apps scares me and I find it hard to control.
I hope I will find a more balanced way to live with the mobile I bought just before arriving in Germany.”
“Running shoes: maybe the most important thing, or the one that connects all the other aspects, are my running shoes. When I come to a new place, I love to explore its surroundings while running. This is when I often have some of the best ideas, and you can see things from a clear and new perspective.”