Sternthal Books

Keren Benbenisty's short film, Tristeza (HD Video, Hebrew, English subtitles, 13’30 min., 2023), began during her return to Israel during the early days of the Corona virus; the work evolved into a personal film about Benbenisty's own unsuccessful attempt to cultivate a blue orange and, in doing so, dwells on the duality of returning to the “Promised Land” and leaving it. The video – which explores pasts, presents and futures-that-could-have-been – is marked by a series of failures: to stay, “to return,” to sink roots, to create a blue orange. And yet, a blue orange, although not the one initially planned, eventually appears. Benbenisty’s private export of oranges does not succeed in transporting the citrus as an edible product. But the blue powder collected from the moldy peels of the “exported” fruit congeals into a primordial landscapes captured on the microscope slides seen throughout the film.Text: Keren Benbenisty & David Stevens Voice over: Keren Benbenisty. Image, sound, and editing: Keren Benbenisty. Sound Mix: Quentin Chiappetta. From Benbenisty's solo exhibition 'Tristeza', at the Ulterior Gallery in New York (which closes today). Her book '_A_A_O_UE' can be ordered right here or from our website.

A lot of important political art is being done to point at something evil out there. I have respect for this position, but for me it is also problematic because it puts the artist in a position of the preacher, teacher, or judge. I see my task as being about self criticality and trying to find uncomfortable zones where things are ambiguous. Then, the ethical questions are truly experienced. - Artist Roee Rosen Roee Rosen—painter, novelist, and filmmaker—is an astute critical voice in Israel. While his work deals primarily with the representation of desire and structural violence, Rosen, born in 1963, has created an artistic universe that treacherously undermines the normative implications of identities and identifications through fictionalization, irony, and revision. In untold variations, he typically links current Israeli and world politics with mythical and political references to European and Jewish history. Using a vast array of fictional characters and iconographic motifs and codes, Rosen frequently refers to, and transforms, not only the canon of the historical avant-garde and transgressive traditions from the Marquis de Sade to Georges Bataille, but also popular media, political propaganda, and classic children’s fairy tales. By Hila Peleg In the Studio with Roee Rosen, is part of a series of artist video profiles featuring artists based in Israel who are recipients of the Artis Grant for Exceptional Work in Uncertain Times. The video was created by Artis, edited with @noprocess, directed by @iansternthal, and produced by Sternthal Books. Filming with @gvkesteren. All rights reserved by @artiscontemporary, 2022

A new episode of Makers: In Conversation with Shahar Yahalom, made in collaboration with @museums_of_bat_yam, produced on the occasion of the publication of her new book ‘Blunt Liver / Blind Arch’ published by @sternthalbooks. Thanks to @goniriskin for cinematography, and @gvkesteren for filming the interview.

This film on @michalhelfman was filmed at @telavivmuseumofart during her exhibition 'Dear A.S.A.P', which deals with the artistic image in times of crisis and uncertainty. Helfman features attempts of settling the artistic act in frontier zones that are in constant change, by creating deserted and haunted spaces reminiscent of border controls, prison facilities and, alternately, the backstage areas in museums and theaters. The exhibition has two entrances leading to two different zones: the Time route and the Show route. The breaking of the expression “showtime” points to the exhibition’s two axes: one deals with the axis of time (history, present and future) while the other deals with the act of performance and show (human and artistic). Moving between the white cube of art space, and the black boxes of performance art, her work seeks to help all of us think of ways we can move in situations which constrain and challenge our autonomy, probing the political potential of art in times of crisis. In the Studio with Michal Helfman was created by @artiscontemporary , edited and directed by @iansternthal, and produced by @sternthalbooks, cinematography by @gvkesteren.

Artis and Sternthal Books are pleased to invite you to view a new video profile and audio interview exploring the work and practice of artist Ruth Patir. In her work, Patir engages in multi-generational conversations about gender representation, relics, and political imagination in the digital age. Created by @artiscontemporary, Produced by @sternthalbooks, Edited and Directed by @iansternthal, Cinematography by @gvkesteren and @irisdomany, animations by @yonatanwas.

"For my projects, I normally start with choosing geographical margins and guidelines. Sometimes according to a certain book I’m reading, sometimes according to the time of the day, and sometimes I select an actual guide to follow, like a person, an animal, a geographical guide, etc. Once I start accumulating materials, I evaluate and play with them in the studio. There I start making new decisions, mainly checking if the direction I’m taking is right, or if it should be altered. In one of my past projects, I kept the margin to one rooftop in Tel Aviv. In another project, inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, I woke up before dawn and followed desert goats through the morning fog. In Frankfurt, I wandered the streets from one memorial to another, inspired by Theodor Adorno’s post-mortem Dream Notes collection. When Adorno, a famous Frankfurter, wrote these notes, he was in exile, dreaming about the city that I was now a stranger in, he was dreaming about music, and art, and sex, about his family and friends and colleagues. He dreamt about the Opera House that I often visited, and about the Palmengarten where I took many photographs, and about Hitler and about the tram. His notes, my dream, my thoughts, and my wandering, all intertwined." Hinda Weiss Graves and Gardens: Frankfurt Notes, Published in 2022.

In light of the current events in Ukraine, I wanted to share this excerpt from the film 'Artis Presents, In The Studio with Public Movement', which deals with their 2014 action 'Cross Section', a series of physical encounters taking place in Kiev, which commemorated the EuroMaidan Protests, which ousted the Pro-Russian Ukrainian leader, Victor Yanukovych, in favor of a more pro-Europe leadership. "Usually when we think about monuments, about memorials, about modes of commemoration, we already accept them as part of an ideology to which they were channeled, and in Kiev, that the memory was not yet crystallized into an ideology, into a narrative, but yet again, there was a very spontaneous, emotional need for the act of commemoration. It sparked the opportunity for artists to also be the designers of memory." @yahalomidana The full film to follow. Created by @artiscontemporary, directed and edited by @iansternthal, produced by @sternthalbooks, cinematography by @gvkesteren

Was really a pleasure to spend such a fascinating afternoon talking with and filming #tamargetter for @artiscontemporary’s new series of films on various contemporary artists. Can’t wait to start editing!!

Was really a pleasure to spend such a fascinating afternoon talking with and filming #tamargetter for @artiscontemporary’s new series of films on various contemporary artists. Can’t wait to start editing!!

A short film about Modern Love: “Gloria Swanson and I had had a long session, with many changes of costume and different lighting effects. At the end of the session, I took a piece of black lace veil and hung it in front of her face. She recognized the idea at once. Her eyes dilated, and her look was that of a leopardess lurking behind leafy shrubbery, watching her prey. You don’t have to explain things to a dynamic and intelligent personality like Miss Swanson. Her mind works swiftly and intuitively.” Edward Steichen, ‘A Life in Photography’, American, born Luxembourg, 1879–1973. This enduring portrait of Gloria Swanson, which can be appreciated all the more with the help of Steichen’s own notes. Swanson was Hollywood’s biggest female silent film star in the 1920s, her success unprecedented and her face globally recognizable. Noam Gal #booktrailer #steichen #modernlove #israelmuseum #photobook

@ellalittwitz’s research-based practice often makes connections between geological and socio-political histories, creating poetic and conceptual meditations on the structures and systems which define us. In this film she takes us through her seminal projects, including The Elephant in the Room (2019), a large-scale mold of the Mediterranean Sea Basin, made of car tires and geo cells, A high degree of certainty (2021) a recent sculpture work created following research trips to Qasr El Yahud, a site imbued with religious significance, located on the Jordan-Israel border and a collision-point of two tectonic plates.  “My work is based on research, history, and learning about different fields of science. I often work with organic materials, so I really need to listen and respond... and not force myself on the materials.” - Ella Littwitz In the Studio with Ella Littwitz was created by Artis, edited and directed by @iansternthal , and produced by Sternthal Books. All rights reserved by Artis, 2021. Cinematography by @gvkesteren and @irisdomany

Rushes from our latest shoot documenting Hilla Toony Navok’s installation ‘Waiting for the sun’ at the @herzliyamuseum curated by @curatorherzliyamuseum. Today Toony will be giving a performance called ‘Sunset’ in the space for the closing of the show from 12-2. Sternthal Books is a full service book publishing and film production company. Contact us with any projects.

Rushes from our latest shoot documenting Hilla Toony Navok’s installation ‘Waiting for the sun’ at the @herzliyamuseum curated by @curatorherzliyamuseum. Tomorrow Toony will be giving a performance called ‘Sunset’ in the space for the closing of the show from 12-2. Sternthal Books is a full service book publishing and film production company. Contact us with any projects !

Excited to share the second film from our collaboration with @artiscontemporary, ‘In the Studio with Nir Evron.’ Nir Evron’s work uses moving images and sound to investigate both how film and photography participate in the formation of memories and identities - as well as to uncover and complicate existing narratives. His work probes us to look at the world as a series of endlessly complex relationships. It was really important for me when approaching this film - to show Nir at work - we filmed him both in his studio and at Yad Anzac, a monument for fallen soldiers right near the border with Gaza. This location illustrates the many layers and narratives that Evron uses as his raw materials; thousands of birds nest in israel, and feed at the garbage disposal plant on the Gazan side, tourists come to see the monument, to look at Gaza, and soldiers are constantly on patrol - exposing the many potentialities for storytelling which exist in a singular place. Thank you to @artiscontemporary for their commission, to @nirevron and @mikikratrsman for their participation, and to @geertvankesteren for cinematography. Directed and edited and produced by @iansternthal.

A short film about @elham_rokni’s ‘The Iblis, The Girl, the Sultan, and the Lion’s Tale, to shed light on the political context in which this book was made; The refugees have struggled to remain in Israel, in the face or rising right wing nationalism. Shot by @noa_bensha

A short film about @elham_rokni’s ‘The Iblis, The Girl, the Sultan, and the Lion’s Tale, to shed light on the political context in which this book was made; The refugees have struggled to remain in Israel, in the face or rising right wing nationalism. Shot by @noa_bensha

Geert Van Kesteren is not only a friend, and a filming partner for the series Sternthal Books is producing for @artiscontemporary, he is also a world renowned photojournalist and artist, who spent years covering issues like the Tsunami in Indonesia, the War in Iraq, etc. As part of a new series of conversations with artists, I am proud to present this short piece where Geert opens up about the role of photography and image making in conflicts, the changing nature of belief, as our societies transition from religiously ordained, to one ruled by the new deity of ‘data’, and the importance of our collective humanity. In addition to the acclaimed photo books ‘Why Mister, Why, and ‘Baghdad Calling’, Geert recently produced a large scale video installation called The Believers which was presented at @breda_photo , produced with the support of @forhannafoundation

Really excited to share a short clip from a new video profile we made about @gvkesteren Geert Van Kesteren, who talks to us about his experiences as a photo journalist and an artist, having spent years working all over the world for the past thirty years. Here we see images from his installation ‘The Beleivers' at @breda_photo. Stay tuned for the full film!

2018 marks the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. On the occasion of the novel’s bicentennial, the artist Maya Attoun will publish 2018 – a weekly year planner and an artist’s book that revisits 1818, through the calendar of 2018. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was 19, in the mythical “year without summer” she had spent in the company of Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and John William Polidori. In Frankenstein, which was way ahead of its time, Shelley explored the relationship between the technological ethos and the human ethos through the character of a living-dead monster spawned by the new science – an immortal creature composed of human and animal body parts, doomed to a life of loneliness and suffering. The 1818 novel successfully conflated the Romantic sublime with the ideas of the Enlightenment, and in effect – the old world with the new world. The confusion maintained throughout the book between the creator – Doctor Frankenstein, and his creation – the nameless creature, is a literary means with which Shelley portrays humanity as an arena of contradictory impulses: good and evil, love and hate, creation and destruction. Even at this early age, she already grasped the split complexity of the human psyche, where both monster and his creator reside. #mayattoun #2018 #artistbook #enlightenment #romantic #katebush