Occupied, 2010, Video (40 min)
Hug with prostitute in exchange for payment, South Tel Aviv, rented room by the hour.

A video work that lays out the dynamics and power relations between the artist and the subject of the work, a prostitute working the streets. Yael Brandt filmed prostitutes in Central Station area during one year in what started as a documentary project and became a personal journey. At the end of the shooting period, Yael asked one of the prostitutes to hug her in front of the camera for money. This hugging scene is taking place in a rented room in south Tel Aviv, and is shown in one shot, without editing.
The hug is an act of empathy and compassion, and expresses the artist’s wish to abandon the position of the observer and participate in the events. The work is presented as an action in real time with a lingering observation into the way two bodies fold into one another.

Biography

Born in Israel, 1982 | Lives and works In Tel-Aviv | Graduated Musrara in 2010 | Presented a Solo Exhibition in the Museum of Israeli art, Ramat Gan ( 2013) and participated in Group Exhibition in Israel and abroad: The Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv (2011); Photography Biennial, Amsterdam (2012), The new gallery, Musrara, Jerusalem (2011) and more | Won the Mayor of Jerusalem Award for Excellence in art studies (2010).