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Shir Handelsman
Biography
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. Shir began his professional career as a musician, a saxophone player, and performer. 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). Shir is a recipient of Excellence Grant from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation (2018) and an Award Winner for Best Experimental Film of Budapest Independent Film Festival, Hungary (2020). His studio work involves video art, film, sculpture, drawing, installation and photography. In his works, Shir explores the connections between sound and visual image by observing human relationships, the mechanics and dynamics of interpersonal intimacy. In all music takes a significant part. The works present seemingly indigenous stories, life experiences and personal traumas alongside historical and universal myths, which become grandiose, timed, orchestrated, and musically performed spectacles. His works have been exhibited in Kunsthal Charlottenborg gallery (DK), Arsenale of Venice (IT), Aesthetica Short Film Festival (UK), Jerusalem Film Festival (IL), Video Art & Experimental Film Festival (US), The Nikola Tesla Technical Museum (HR), Cello Factory Gallery (UK), The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History (IL) and more.
ARTWORK
Recitative
Video
An opera singer stands on a lifted platform, singing a Martyr’s wish for redemption. A counterpoint between the human voice and mechanical sounds of machinery moving up and down. The music, taken from one of J.S Bach’s cantatas, is the Recitative Movement which describes the ascension of Christ and expresses the desire to become one with god.
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