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I. S. Kalter

I. S. Kalter (b. Ishai Shapira Kalter, 1986) is an artist based in Tel Aviv-Yafo. His works of art are primarily made in the mediums of painting and curatorial objects—a particular concept and term coined by Kalter, to define the curatorial practice as an artistic medium. Kalter is renowned for his critically charged artistic actions and exhibitions, which predominantly focus on themes of trauma and the sociological dynamics within the contemporary art system. I. S. Kalter is represented by MOUNTAINS, Berlin.

Theory for a Starving Obese

I. S. Kalter holds a BFA from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem (2013) and completed his MFA in studio art at Hunter College in New York (2017). His thesis, "Theory for a Starving Obese," supervised by Prof. Thierry de Duve, explores the paradoxes of contemporary art. In "Theory for a Starving Obese," Kalter delves deeper into the question "what is contemporary art?", analyzing it as an abstract bureaucratic paradigm and system dominating art. His collection of essays and art criticism, written during his studies from 2015 to 2017, focuses on New York exhibitions. Kalter's thesis was both written and exhibited; he mailed his reviews alongside artworks to seventeen artists whose solo shows he reviewed, including Cameron Rowland, R.H. Quaytman, Lutz Bacher, and others.

Ventilator

Since 2017, I. S. Kalter runs the nomadic exhibition space Ventilator. In 2021, Ventilator collaborated with the Tel Aviv Museum of Art to present its most ambitious exhibition, "Out of the Cube" across various locations in Tel Aviv-Yafo. Curated by Ventilator and supported by The Rappaport Foundation, this short-term group exhibition featured young local artists, creating site-specific works in diverse settings—from Hayarkon Park to Hatikva Quarter. The exhibition metaphorically expanded the museum’s boundaries into urban spaces, transforming everyday locations into artistic environments. The artworks, dispersed over a wide area in changing times, were characterized by their non-monumental, sensory nature, often disrupting conventional materiality and forms. "Out of the Cube" engaged viewers akin to flâneurs, sharpening their senses to respond to both the artworks and the urban ambiance, blurring distinctions between time and exhibition norms within the bustling cityscape. In the context of "Out of The Cube," I. S. Kalter exhibited the only object within the museum: a curatorial object titled "Zaritzky's Point". His curatorial object, set as a bulletin board, featured photographs of vacant spots in Tel Aviv-Yafo embellished with push pins. Additionally, it included xerox prints in Hebrew, Arabic, and English of the exhibition poster, listing artist names, exhibitions, locations, and the press release. In a later interview, he expressed the upheaval and complexity surrounding the exhibition, including its postponements due to lockdowns and wartime conditions mainly - 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. He said: "“Zaritzky’s Point”, the curatorial object I was showing as part of “Out of the Cube '' was supposed to be purchased into the museum's collection. However, at the last minute, their curatorial team changed their minds. Not having access to suitable storage space, the piece was thrown into the garbage".

Curatorial Object

The first manifestation of a curatorial object occurred in I. S. Kalter's exhibition "The Old North" at Institut Français, Tel Aviv-Yafo (2021), featuring "Reason Subverts Purity". "Reason Subverts Purity" is integrating drawings acquired from auctions and forgotten locales in Tel Aviv's Old North made by famous late Israeli-Jewish painters, transforming them into a unified "Curatorial Object" that challenges conventional artistic definitions in regards to works of art. Through this work and term, Kalter challenged and intertwined accepted definitions of the roles of artist, curator, and collector. Kalter explores the responsibilities and roles within artistic practices, integrating curatorial medium as a core aspect of his artistic expression.

Documenta Fifteen

One notable exhibition of I. S. Kalter's work occured during Documenta Fifteen in Kassel, Germany, where he staged a renegade exhibition titled "Bad Breath" with accompanying text by Dortmunder Kunstverein's director, Rebekka Seubert. This exhibition featured graphite drawings with portraits and Yiddish sayings, presented in the cellar of an Airbnb he rented. Kalter's action was a protest against what he perceived as the exclusion of Israeli liberal voices from the main exhibition due to a cultural boycott. His decision to exhibit in Kassel stemmed from his belief that the absence of a comprehensive participant list in Documenta Fifteen allowed anyone to potentially participate. On an interview for Artnet News he stated, "If there is no actual list of participants, then everyone is a potential participant." The artist utilized this loophole to establish an unofficial presence at the international exhibition, challenging the boundaries of participation and representation in contemporary art. "Bad Breath" was subsequently exhibited in institutional settings in Germany including Kunstverein Nürnberg – Albrecht Dürer Gesellschaft, Nürnberg, Germany (2024).

Flesh Works

Since 2019, I. S. Kalter has been integrating paintings often referred to as Flesh Works into his exhibitions. Flesh Works is an ongoing series of art objects depicting an atmosphere of congealment. Curator Ory Dessau wrote about these works: "I. S. Kalter's work takes into account the impersonal industrial conditions in which painting has prevailed since modern times, which led Marcel Duchamp to invent the readymade after abandoning his painterly practice. I. S. Kalter, however, did not abandon the picture plane but began to contest it within its own field".

Biography

I. S. Kalter's works have recently been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in public and private institutions such as Aperto – Fondation Pernod Ricard, Paris, FR (2024); Kunstverein Nürnberg – Albrecht Dürer Gesellschaft, Nürnberg, DE (2024); MOUNTAINS, Berlin (2023); Gold+Beton, Cologne (2023); Art Düsseldorf, DE (2023); Documenta XV, Kassel, DE (2022); Dortmunder Kunstverein, Dortmund, DE (2022); Mishkan Museum of Art, Ein Harod, IL (2022); ZONA MISTA, London, UK (2022); Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, IL (2021); CCA, Tel Aviv–Yafo, IL (2020); Art Basel, Basel, CH (2019); Placement Produit, Paris, FR (2019), among others. Since 2017 I. S. Kalter runs the nomadic exhibition space Ventilator.