David Adika is a photographer. He Lives and works in Tel Aviv, studied his BFA in Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and his MFA in Art and Photography in collaboration with the Hebrew University. Now he is the head of the Photography Department in Bezalel.
Adika has exhibited solo exhibitions at prestigious museums and galleries such as Braverman Gallery, Tel Aviv; Galerie Klubovna, Brno, Czech Republic; MAMbo, Museo Morandi, Bologna, Italy; The Open Museum of Photography, Tel-Hai, Israel; Latvian National Museum Of Art, Riga; and The Open Lens Gallery at The Gershman Y, Philadelphia; as well as group exhibitions at Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel; Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Kristinehamns Konstmuseum, Sweden; Petach-Tikava museum of Contemporary Art.
He won multiple awards, including the Israel Ministry of Culture award and the Jack Nailor Award for Cinematography from the Haifa Film Festival award.
MIII JAFFA: Hi David how are you doing these days?
D.A: On these strange days I’m well overall – I am an essential worker from home :-)
At the Bezalel Academy of Art – in Jerusalem, we teach from home. In between, and in the Zoom routine, I make sure to maintain my mental and physical well-being.
The dynamism of things – and the sharp transition from the routine and many predetermined plans – to a different existential state which is unclear, requires seclusion, social isolation – and different habits, manages to undermine old insights – and encourage deep and superficial existential reflections.
MIII JAFFA: Tell us something about the works from the collection we see here.
D.A: These are six works, six photographs – which are part of a wider series, called “Untitled, Non Place”. As a photographer, and as a wanderer – I work in two parallel paths, through the mind and logical search – using intuition and emotion. When I sort photos into the series “Untitled, Non Place”, I carefully choose photos taken in different parts of the world – trying to embody “contradicting values” within the photo – as I understand them.
Two of the works have recently become posters by Magasin III whom has advertised them throughout Stockholm. I am very excited, and really looking forward to the day I visit the city, for the first time in my life! I had a plan to visit in Stockholm this summer, I hope that will still happen soon.
MIII JAFFA: In the context of these days, do you experience it differently?
D.A: It is interesting to think about these works again – and in the specific context of the era and the Corona, because immediately, I experience – like everyone else – a temporary lack of freedom to travel and fly – the photographs speak directly to a wandering experience which is not limited in time or location. The globality of this event turns concepts upside down, for example; Place, time, specificity.
MIII JAFFA: What are you working on right now?
D.A: Right now my exhibition: “Black Market” is on display at the Braverman Gallery’s new residence in Tel Aviv-Jaffa. The exhibition opened about two or three weeks before we had to go into quarantine and isolate. I have been working on this exhibition for a long time, and I am waiting for them to open the gallery again – to exhaust the full length of the exhbition and to come full circle with the content being raised through the works in the exhibition.
I think these days – I’m mostly building new thoughts – for new artworks.
Other than that, I keep a running log, parts of which I upload to my Instagram account: @dadika.
MIII JAFFA: Thoughts on the future?
D.A: I refrain from thinking about the future – especially in these days, because all my thoughts seem to be leaning to dramatic and hysterical directions. I think there is a lot of confusion right now – which exists alongside a lot of seemingly scientific data, supposedly factual information – a lot of data, a lot of statistics, a lot of graphs and curves, reports that are delivered in percentages – this, should give reliable and accurate status report. In actuality, the picture, as it is seen by me, is abstract.
I’m at a point where I prefer not to make plans – I prefer to observe and take a relative part in the game. Already, it seems we are returning to routine – or at least attempts to return. So, I focus my thoughts on the near future – and think positively and optimistically.
