Gil Shani (born in 1968) lives and works in Tel Aviv. He holds a BFA from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, where he also lectures today. Shani is a painter and installation artist, his works deal with the relationship between the human body and the environment in which it exists, as well as cultural symbols. His paintings are characterized by a schematic outline and flat style against a monotonous background. His large-scale installations reflect banal and everyday life moments, while creating an experience of astonishment and anxiousness.
Shani has exhibited solo exhibitions at prestigious museums and galleries including, the Israel Museum, Israel (2018); Tempo Rubato Gallery, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel (2014); Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Israel (2011); Frode contemporary art space, Genève, Switzerland (2009); Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel (2009); Museum of Underground Prisoners, Jerusalem, Israel (2003).
In addition, he participated in many group exhibitions, his works are part of important collections and he won multiple prestigious awards.
MIII JAFFA: Hi Gil, how are you these days?
G.S: My son is finally in kindergarten and I got out of bed :)
MIII JAFFA: Tell us something about your work from M III collection we see here.
G.S: The body in the drawing is loose, perhaps sealing himself from the world. The phone on the dresser is ringing or maybe its silent? These are tensions and moments I seek.
MIII JAFFA: In the context of these days, do you experience it differently?
G.S: I always loved to sleep and now the whole world has to make a “stop” all the more so. When I sleep I prefer to sleep with my head above the pillow :)
MIII JAFFA: What are you currently working on?
G.S: These days I paint and work on an installation related to the back kitchen of a restaurant, and I paint shelves and air conditioners in the studio. This vision has been in my head for a long time. I live above a restaurant. That’s how my idea for an installation begins … still ripening. It is too early to understand where and when.
MIII JAFFA: Thoughts on the future?
G.S: Right now we’re collapsing, I imagine reptiles, birds, mammals. The campus is dead.
