STONY 1.0
Itamar Shimshony (IL)
Stony 1.0 was introduced to the world during 2012, as Itamar Shimshony graduated from his Master of Fine Arts degree at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. The work is a robot responsible for taking care of tombstones by performing the simple yet personal and delicate tasks of cleaning and leaving flowers and stones, as the Jewish custom requires. The performance operates on the tensions between humor and sadness, and between the authentic and the artificial.
Underlying the project is a philosophical question: where is technology leading humanity, and what are we losing as it replaces all of our labours? It seems we are on the brink of deciding: is there anything we should not automate?
The selection of a robot to perform such a personal task creates a deliberate discomfort for the spectator, and prompts contemplation about whether certain tasks ought to be left to humans, even though they can be performed by machines. Stony 1.0 challenges life, art and technology. It was awarded the Bezalel’s presidential excellence prize and has been widely exhibited.
This exhibit is kindly on loan from the Wingate Family collection.
PROFILE
Itamar Shimshony lives and creates in Israel. Itamar is a versatile artist working mainly with video and sculpting. His recent body of works examine the influence of life and technology on art using a critical approach saturated with humor and irony.
Itamar has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Israel and abroad including Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, USA; Ars Electronica, Austria; and Museum of Contemporary Art Karlsruhe (ZKM), Germany. His works are also part of esteemed private collections. In addition, Itamar teaches at the Bezalel Academy in the Department of Screen-Based Art and the Department of Industrial Design.