Article
Hadas Ophrat is a multi-disciplinary artist from Israel. He was born in 1950 in Tel Aviv, where he later studied literature and philosophy at university. After completing his studies in 1975, he moved to the University of Osaka to study Japanese Bunraku puppetry and Nô drama; then on his return to Israel he settled down in Jerusalem and founded the Box Theatre. He also co-founded the Train Theatre and the Association for the Advancement of Interdisciplinary Theatre and in 1986 founded the School of Visual Theatre, which he ran till 1993.
Ophrat has directed many dramas and has organized festivals of drama and puppetry. He has developed performance-art and sound- and video-installations, and his sculptures and stage-designs have been shown at exhibitions of contemporary art in Israel and Europe. At present he is heading the project-space Hazira Performance Art in Jerusalem and is teaching puppetry, theatrical design and research into performance.
His works show that his notion of art is laden with social, ethical, historical and cultural meanings. He often puts his own body into the role of the actor or puppet, adding new connotations to the challenges of drama and puppetry. For his performance ‘Insomnia’ at an exhibition in Tel Aviv in 2003, he donned his father’s suit and drugged himself to sleep, while a soundtrack with a text of his about family-trees was played.
His works turn to human myths, symbols and rituals, which he adapts or questions. Many of them function as a perceptible archive of memories, made up of sounds and video-documents or sculptures and are about his own history as well as about symbols and relationships in general, as found in families, religions, languages and writings. Hadas Ophrat is always keen to touch upon and expose whatever is culturally exalted in myths and rituals.
His works show that his notion of art is laden with social, ethical, historical and cultural meanings. He often puts his own body into the role of the actor or puppet, adding new connotations to the challenges of drama and puppetry. For his performance ‘Insomnia’ at an exhibition in Tel Aviv in 2003, he donned his father’s suit and drugged himself to sleep, while a soundtrack with a text of his about family-trees was played.
His works turn to human myths, symbols and rituals, which he adapts or questions. Many of them function as a perceptible archive of memories, made up of sounds and video-documents or sculptures and are about his own history as well as about symbols and relationships in general, as found in families, religions, languages and writings. Hadas Ophrat is always keen to touch upon and expose whatever is culturally exalted in myths and rituals.
Author: Haus der Kulturen der Welt
Works
Stage Design
Exhibition / Installation
1996
Kafka. International Exhibition of Theatre Architecture, Prague, Czech Republic
1991
Masks. Israel Museum Youth Wing, Jerusalem, Israel
1983
Puppets and Body Sculptures. Haifa Museum of Art, Israel
Performances and Life Art
Production / Performance
2010
Not in Heaven. Artistic director: Nir Turk. Video photography: Lior Lerman and Jonathan Shohet. Where´s Wally. Musrara Mix # 10, Jerusalem. Curator: Sharon Horodi. Video photography: Lior Lerman and Jonathan Shohet.
2009
Cloister. Curated by Leah Abir and Milana Giltzin Adiram. Video photography: Lior Lerman and Jonathan Shohet. Tail. Curator: Timna Seligman. Video photography: Jonathan Shohet. Peacock. Curators: Diego Rotman and Lea Mauas. Video photography: Lior Leman and Jonathan Sholet.
2008
Ants. Curator: Yair Vardi. Video photography ande editing: Meir Tati. Tom. Video photography: Lior Lerman and Jonathan Shohet.
2006
The Peacock Tail. International Festival of Puppet Theatre, Jerusalem, Israel
2004
The Laughin Man. Time for Art, Tel Aviv, Israel
2003
Insomnia. Omamut Haaretz, Reading Power Station, Tel Aviv, Israel
Mother Tongue, Novalog. New Media Experience, Berlin, Germany
2001
The Milky Way.International Biennial of Performance Art, Kibbutz Nachson, Israel
1998-2001
The Sacrifice of Isaac. In cooperation with Guy Briller, Tel Aviv (Israel), Zürich (Switzerland), Barcelona (Spain)
Group Exhibitions (Selected)
Exhibition / Installation
2005
Blurrr 5 - BLURRR - International Biennial of Performing Arts, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Traum und Trauma. Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany.
Togetherness. Kibbutz and Kvutza in Israeli Consciousness, Tel Aviv; Israel
2002
Contemporary Israeli Art, Robert Sanderson Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2001
Novalog. New Media Experience, Berlin, Germany
Solo Exhibitions (Selected)
Exhibition / Installation
2005
Come Back. Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
2004
Collective One. Nachson Gallery, Kibbutz Nachson, Israel
2003/04
Ever Never . The Israeli Centre for Digital Art, Holon, Israel
1998
Multimedia Installations, Shira and Bathsheba Gallery, Jerusalem, Israel
1994
Bimah, the Waste Land. University Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel
Projects
This artist took part in the following project(s) organized/funded by the culturebase.net partner institutions.
Postcard Project
(01 March 07 - 31 December 08)
