Shir Handelsman is a multidisciplinary artist, born in 1989. He lives and works in Tel Aviv and graduated his BFA studies at the Department of Multidisciplinary Art of Shenkar College in 2018. He specialized in video, sound, drawing, sculpture, and installation. Recipient of Excellence Grant from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, 2018.
Shir began his professional career as a musician, a saxophone player, and performer. He participated in various ensembles and jazz orchestras and composed music for theater productions. After completing his military service as an Excelling Musician (2010), Shir began his BA studies in literature and philosophy at Tel Aviv University, which he graduated with honors (2013).
In his works, Shir explores the relations between sound and visual images by using human encounters and situations, which become surreal and absurd. He creates damaged sound machines, visual disturbances, and manipulations on the image, in order to expose the disruptions that exist in intimate human relations. His works have been exhibited in Kunsthal Charlottenborg gallery (Denmark), Aesthetica Short Film Festival (UK), Jerusalem Film Festival (Israel) , Video Art & Experimental Film Festival (New York, USA) and more.
CV
1989 Born in Israel, lives and work in Tel Aviv
Education
2014 – 2018 BFA, The Department of Multidisciplinary Arts, Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art, Ramat Gan, Israel
2017 École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Student Exchange Program, Paris, France
2010 – 2013 B.A in Literature and Philosophy (Graduated with honors), Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Group Exhibitions
2019
International Photography Festival, PHOTO IS:RAEL, Tel Aviv, Israel
The London Group Open 2019, Cello Factory Gallery, London, UK
Interchange, Alfred Cooperative Institute for Art, Tel Aviv, Israel
Neo:ArtPrize 2019, Bolton Museum Gallery, Bolton, UK
Surface, Sklar Levy Gallery, Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, Israel
Extravagant Bodies: Love, Hala V, The Nikola Tesla Technical Museum, Zagreb, Croatia
Thessaloniki Queer Arts Festival, Momus Experimental Center for the Arts, Thessaloniki, Greece
Zoom 2019–Young Israeli Artists, The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv, Israel
Charlottenborg Forårsudstilling 2019, Kunsthal Charlottenborg Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2018
The Constant Variable / Shelter Time, Abraham Hostel, Tel Aviv, Israel
Beyond Words, ArtspaceTLV, Tel Aviv, Israel
Morendo, Graduate exhibition, Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art, Ramat Gan, Israel
2017
Fanzines, École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France
2016
Art and Emotion, Shenkar Collegeof Engineering, Design and Art, Ramat Gan, Israel
Screenings
2019
Simultan Festival, Corneliu Miklosi Museum, Romania
Istanbul International Experimental Film Festival, Istanbul, Turkey
Video Art & Experimental Film Festival, Tribeca Film Center, New York, USA
Aesthetica Short Film Festival, York, UK
Horn Experimental Film Festival, The Sublet, Jerusalem, Israel
Marienbad Film Festival, Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic
Jerusalem Film Festival - Video Art and Experimental Cinema Competition, Jerusalem Cinematheque, Israel
The 11th Magmart Video Festival, Casoria Contemporary Art Museum, Naples, Italy
Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival 2019, Tel Aviv Cinematheque, Israel
Eye's Walk Digital festival 2019, Syros, Greece
The BF Artist Film Festival VIII, SERF, Leeds & SET, London, UK
Awards and Grants
2019
Artist in Residency, Leveld Kunstnartun, Norway
Second Prize at Horn Festival - The Experimental Film Competition, Jerusalem, Israel
2018
Excellence Grant Recipient from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation
2017
Pessa and Rebecca Blumenkopf Foundation Scholarship
Military Service
2010 – 2007
Excelling Musician
