Over the last several years, Yael Bartana has become known for her complex visualizations in the forms of photography, film, video, and sound works and installations. Whereas largely known in Europe, her work has not been as present in the U.S. until her recent exhibition at PS1 in New York. Her work creates a revealing ambivalence between playfulness and serious topics, time looped and halted, material from documentation and re-enactments.

Bartana lives and works in Amsterdam and Tel Aviv. She has had numerous solo exhibitions including: Foksal Gallery, Warsaw, Poland (2008); Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, Israel (2008); The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada (2007); Kunstverein Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany (2006); Museum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland (2005); Sommer Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, Israel (2004); MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (2004).

She has also been included in many group exhibitions including: Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, United Kingdom (2008); Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon, Spain (2008); Documenta 12, Kassel, Germany (2007); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (2007); Centre Pompidou, Paris, France (2007); 27th Bienal de São Paulo, Brasil (2007); Tàpies Foundation, Barcelona, Spain (2006); and the 9th Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey (2005).

This lecture is presented with the generous support of the art history department and the human rights program.