Koffler - Press Release

Koffler Gallery Off-Site presents the first Canadian survey of the acclaimed Israeli photographer Adi Nes

March 27,2012

Toronto, ON – The Koffler Gallery of the Koffler Centre of the Arts is proud to present the first Canadian survey of the stunning, bold and often controversial work of internationally acclaimed Israeli photographer Adi Nes.

Curated by Mona Filip, the exhibition is presented off-site at Olga Korper Gallery 17 Morrow Ave, Toronto from May 3 to June 2, 2012 and opens with a free reception on Thursday, May 3, 6 to 9 PM.

“We are thrilled to be the first institution in Canada to present an in-depth survey of Adi Nes,” said Lori Starr, Executive Director of the Koffler Centre of the Arts and Vice President, Culture, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. “The Koffler Gallery is proud to contribute to the popular and scholarly discourse on his powerful work,” added Starr.

Attesting to the importance of art in a society fraught with conflict, Nes’ meticulously crafted images have become part of the collective visual culture beyond Israel. The exhibition includes Nes’ most prominent photographs from the series Soldiers (1994-2000), Boys (2000) and Biblical Stories (2003-2006), including the iconic untitled (The Last Supper Before Going Out to Battle) (1999).

Referencing art history and photojournalism, Nes’ interpretations of Biblical, mythological and literary themes propose a critical view of present day Israel, while seeking to uncover a universal humanism. His examinations of the military environment, tenement towns and the fringes of Israeli society take on mythical dimensions, enabling a philosophical inquiry into the narratives that underlie national identity.

Nes’ own sense of marginality – informed by his Kurdish and Iranian heritage, his queer identity and his experience growing up in the development town of Kiryat Gat – influence his artistic vision and provide a particular filter for the realities of his homeland. His perspective generates a meaningful and subversive exploration of notions of masculinity, as well as cultural and sexual identity, within contemporary Israeli and global contexts.

Adi Nes is a Featured Exhibition in the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.

Adi Nes will launch The Village, a brand new body of work in June 2012 at the Jack Shainman Gallery in New York. The show will also open in Paris at Praz-Delavallade in June and in Tel Aviv at Sommer Contemporary Art Gallery in September 2012.

Adi Nes was born in 1966 in Kiryat Gat and currently lives and works in Tel Aviv. The most prominent Israeli photographer today, Nes graduated from the photography department of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem in 1992. Since then, his work has been widely exhibited in Israel as well as internationally, including solo shows at The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Galerie Praz Delavallade, Paris, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, and Melkweg Gallery, Amsterdam. He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions in venues such as the Freundeskreis Kulturbahnhof Eller, Dusseldorf, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York among many others. Nes’ works are in the collections of The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel-Aviv, The Jewish Museum, New York, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego and Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Canada. He is represented by Jack Shainman Gallery in New York, Sommer Contemporary Art in Tel Aviv, and Gallery Praz Delavallade in Paris. More information can be found at www.adines.com

For full exhibition and program details, please visit: www.kofflerarts.org

GENERAL INFORMATION
Exhibition: Adi Nes, May 3 to June 2, 2012, FREE
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 3, 6 – 9 PM, FREE
Location: Koffler Gallery Off-Site at Olga Korper Gallery, 17 Morrow Ave., Toronto
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 – 6 PM

Artist Talk: May 7, 2012, 7 PM, FREE
Location: Eaton Theatre (Room 204), Rogers Communication Centre, 80 Gould Street

About the Koffler Centre of the Arts
Koffler Centre of the Arts is Canada's only cutting-edge contemporary, multidisciplinary Jewish cultural institution. It has a broad mandate to serve all, and present a wide range of artistic programs through a global lens in a specifically Canadian context.

The Koffler Centre of the Arts is an agency of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

Planning is underway on a brand new, architecturally innovative Koffler Centre of the Arts on the Sherman Campus at Bathurst and Sheppard. In July 2009, the Koffler’s administrative offices and all classes opened in the Prosserman JCC on the Sherman Campus. Starting in early 2013, Koffler Gallery exhibitions and related programs will be based at Artscape YOUNGplace in downtown Toronto. Koffler programs will continue at the Prosserman JCC on Sherman Campus and will debut at the new Schwartz/Reisman Centre on Lebovic Campus in Vaughan also in fall 2012.

Koffler Centre of the Arts acknowledges the support of Cultural Season Sponsor CIBC Wood Gundy, Media Partner National Post, the Ontario Arts Council through the Community and Multidisciplinary Arts Organizations Program, our patrons and members. The Koffler Gallery gratefully acknowledges the support the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.

KOFFLER ON THE ROAD!
Watch for Koffler programs off-site around Toronto! As it prepares for its new facility to be completed, the Koffler Centre of the Arts continues to program exhibitions, events, performances, classes and workshops at the Prosserman JCC on Sherman Campus, the Schwartz/Reisman Centre on Lebovic Campus and at various downtown sites in Toronto. Go to www.kofflerarts.org for details and watch for Koffler events in your neighbourhood!

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Media Contact
Tony Hewer, Head of Communications and Marketing
Koffler Centre of the Arts
4588 Bathurst Street | Toronto | ON | M2R 1W6
t: 416.638.1881 x 4228 | f: 416.636.5813
e: thewer@kofflerarts.org | w: www.kofflerarts.org

High resolution images for media use are available upon request. A selection of low resolution images are available here.

Click here to download PDF version of the press release.

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Koffler Gallery Off-Site presents the first Canadian survey of the acclaimed Israeli photographer Adi Nes