Totally devoted to you
Stavanger Kunstmuseum
8.9.-13.10.11
Relational art / feelgood art
I had the opportunity to see their exhibition twice, first in Copenhagen this spring and now in Stavanger. The exhibition is travelling between five spots in North Europe, adding a new, local project on every spot. My two visits to the exhibition gave two totally different impressions. On the Stavanger exhibition a local project was added, and I had the opportunity to meet the artists before the Stavanger exhibition. This made a large difference for my experience.
Gil&Moti are an Israeli artist couple living in Holland. They are an inseparable part of their work, living their art, or make their life into art. This is visible in their art, but also in how they live. I understood that this couple have a genuine interest in the people they meet, and this is reflected in their art. It is easy to be charmed by these guys. For instance, on the opening night they prepared heart-shaped hamburgers for the visitors.
Gil&Moti: Opening performance
In the project "You brought the light back to my life" Gil&Moti document their meeting and nine month correspondation with graffiti writer Tommy in Stavanger. They met by coincidence, while Gil&Moti were looking for people they could give a hand. They had made similar projects before, helping out Arab immigrants in Europe. But these were short-time projects, maybe cleaning or running a shop in one day. This is a long-term project, aquiring a lot of time and effort by both the artists and the local guy.
Gil&Moti: Available for you
The relationship with Tommy is documented by a movie telling their story, photographs and examples of Tommy's work. As a graffiti writer, he sent pictures of his fresh work to Gil&Moti. On display are sketches, pieces on paper and photos of pieces in town. I believe this is the first time graffiti is on display in Stavanger Kunstmuseum.
Gil&Moti: You brought the light back to my life
Gil&Moti: You brought the light back to my life
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Other projects at the exhibition:
Gil&Moti: Letters to Laylah
In this project, they sent love letters to their fictious Arab lover Laylah.
Installation view
Most of the art museum is taken in use for this exhibition, making the visit an exploration of not only Gil&Moti's work, but also the museum. You are invited to sit on their designed chairs or even in their wedding bed while viewing the artwork, like their impressions from Israel, their public wedding ceremony, or their different forms of contact across the historical and cultural barrier between Israelis and Arabs.
Gil&Moti: Laylah the creature beyond dreams
This installation document their project with having a relationship with a Lebanese guy. Everything is documented, from when they met at internet until the heartbreaking breakup.
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All in all, this could be a large exhibitionistic exhibition with artists displaying all their lives and fantasies to the public. But the range of the projects shows their sincerity, and after talking to the artists and their local "project" guy, I understood that this is something they do with honesty. Gil&Moti are making the world better by sharing their love for each other and everybody.
