Einat Amir / Israel

Jerusalem born 1979

Einat Amir’s works of art invite gallery visitors to participate in constructed settings. Working from her Tel Aviv studio, which the artist calls her ‘lab of emotional research’, Amir examines human behaviour through partly planned, partly spontaneous interactions within video installations and live performances. Her work blurs the lines dividing the work of art and the viewer, public and private and scripted and unprompted situations. In this way, Amir’s art encourages us to re-examine our behaviour.

Coming soon near you, 2011-17, relies on visitors to perform the work. Presented in the form of a typical living room, with well-worn couch, mismatched furnishings and threadbare rug, the work is a domestic island within the gallery space.

Amir invites visitors to sit in her constructed lounge room and watch a television show, film or home movie of their choice. In this way, the private ritual of watching television in the family living room – where loved ones gather to enjoy leisure time, snacks and favourite films – becomes a public spectacle or performance for others to observe. Bringing together local materials, people and histories, Coming soon near you, 2011-17, captures an experience both local and universal.

BIO

Amir received her Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University, New York City, in 2009. Her work has been exhibited at institutions including MoMA PS1, New York; The Kitchen, New York; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Museum of Modern Art, Istanbul; and Whitechapel Gallery, London.