EFRAT KLIPSHTIEN Tel Aviv, Israel
RED WINGED BLACK BIRD
SPACES World Artists Program>>

Exhibition Documentation / Gallery Talk
Photos by Jerry Mann

Events:
Opening Reception
Friday, May 15, 6–9 p.m.
Free admission; Free parking

Efrat Klipshtien (Tel Aviv, Israel) arrived in Cleveland on March 30th to begin her nine-week residency as the 26th SPACES World Artist. She has exhibited widely in Israel at venues such as the Haifa Museum, Noga Gallery of Contemporary Art in Tel Aviv, and the Israel Museum. This will be her first residency in the United States.

While in the Israeli army, Efrat Klipshtien provided nature tours at various sites in the mountains. After her service, she began to implement more non-conventional tour tactics into her art practice as a performance artist. Drawing on her experiences as a guide, Klipshtien explores the dynamics of the viewer’s relationship with public spaces, objects, and positions of power. Through subtle feminist-political delivery, Klipshtien engages audiences through a versatile range of media.

In Cleveland, the artist will create a large-scale installation using everyday materials and household products. Klipshtien will also produce and direct a performance (tba).

She writes in her statement, “For me, the spectator is part of the journey, and his […] experience within the installation consciously includes […] the distance he passes in the installation and the distance between him and the art work, while visible and hidden temptations take the experience to the extreme.”

Klipshtien received a B.A in psychology and geography from the Ben-Gurion University (Israel, 1992) followed by an M.Sc. in industrial design at the Israel Institute of Technology (1997). In 1998, Klipshtien studied art at Ha Midrasa, Beit Berl College (Israel, 1998).

Through a partnership with the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, the artist’s residency is extended form the usual 8-week stay to 9 weeks, allowing for deeper engagement with the community. Major funds for Klipshtien’s residency are provided by the Ohio Arts Council. As part of this Ohio Arts Council funded residency, a partnership with the Haifa Museum (Israel) resulted in identifying Efrat Klipshtien as SPACES’ most recent artist-in-residence. Klipshtien’s performances during her residency are made possible through a collaboration with Rebecca Sweet and her students from Viva Dance! Studio.

SWAP was created to give visiting artists from around the world an opportunity to create new work and interact with Northeast Ohioans. Currently, SWAP consists of four 8-week residencies per year by national and international artists who create a new body of work that is exhibited at the conclusion of their stay. SPACES also produces a full-color brochure with a critical essay to document each residency.