Berlin Kunst
Berlin

Gidi Gilam. The artistic act

Gidi Gilam, born in Tel Aviv (IL) based in Berlin, has a B.A. in history and philosophy from Tel Aviv University and a B.Ades. from Bezalel Academy of Art & Design, Jerusalem. He was awarded the D.A.A.D. scholarship and was a recipient of the Feldheim Award for Excellence in Visual Communication.

His works were exhibited at the Design Museum Holon (Israel), Municipality Museum, Tel Aviv (Israel) and Memorial Museum, Curitiba (Brazil) just to name a few. His works are located in the Eisenberg collection (U.S.A) and the Hollander collection (France).

What subjects do you deal with in your art?
My paintings formulate questions that rise from my research which focuses on the impact of the image, whether it is in political, economical or social sphere, on us as viewers. The paintings are based on a collage of images collected by the artist from his ever growing archive of images, some collected from the internet (mainly social media), some scans of magazines and some are personal photos.

gidi gilam interview
Artist: Gidi Gilam

What is the task of art, actually?
Art has no task. It exists whether you pay attention to it or not. The artistic act will happen because it compels me to do. I think that’s as honest an answer as it can get.

“Art is useless, that is to say, art seeks to be left alone. She seeks to be; Not to be judged for good nor bad; Not to be evaluated one way or the other; Not to be wanted or unwanted.”

Boaz Neumann (1971 – 2015)

You just became a father. Would you like to see the world from a child’s perspective? What would the world look like?
Being a father changed me in many ways, being able to care and communicate with a toddler that sees the world in new fresh eyes. Everything is new for my son. He roams the world in an understanding that there are limits which are feasible since he is not aware of the vastness of our planet nor the power of his mind. There is a never ending amazement from the world. He wakes up with the energy to see everything, hear everything, taste everything etc. It is fun to see that in him.

I do not want to see the world from a child’s perspective. I don’t want to lose all the thoughts I have thought and the life I had. I don’t want to start all over again because I am curious about what I do and am interested in the life I live.

What does Berlin mean to you?
I am new to this city and I am an immigrant here, I am still studying German and find it hard to understand the language, so Berlin is in this sense a challenge for me. On the other hand, it is a fun city and has its own pace and is much more relaxed from my home town Tel Aviv. Furthermore, Berlin is saturated with 20th century history and I am a history geek so it’s very interesting live here.

gidi gilam interview

What project are you currently working on
Currently I am working on a possible solo exhibition, though everything is on hold due to the Corona virus. I am painting mainly medium and small sized paintings, which are an in-depth research of the impact of images and hierarchies that we unconsciously receive in images.

Gidi Gilam