Orit Ben-Shitrit E orit.ben ~at~ gmail.com
A Brooklyn, NY 11211
Bio
Orit Ben-Shitrit is a Moroccan-Israeli interdisciplinary artist educated in New York and showing internationally.
Orit works in photography, video and choreography. She has been utilizing movement and bodies to address issues of domination and the potential for violence. These issues developed through three main topical themes: cycles of violence in the Middle East, invisible mechanisms of political, religious and economic control; and conflicted beings trapped in bodies. The works span a spectrum of historical references, combined with ideas that relate to co-dependency, inner demons and behavioral disorders in texture-rich imagery.
Orit has recently shown at the Haifa Museum of Art; the Royal College of Art, London; Videobrasil in São Paulo; La Nau Universitat de Valencia in Spain; as well as in: Germany, Russia, Slovenia and the US. Recent commissions include HALF TAMED BEAST by Artis at Zoom contemporary art from the Middle-East in 2010, and a video commission for a dance in 2011. Ben-Shitrit is a current LMCC Swing Space resident. She is based in Brooklyn.
Exhibitions:
2011 17th SESC_Videobrasil Southern Panoramas, selected by Solange Farkas, São Paulo, Brazil, Sept 30-Dec 10
The Coming Community, at the Haifa Museum of Art, Israel, curated by Yeala Hazut & Lee Weinberg
Physical Center, curated by Amanda Schmitt and Juliana Cerqueira Leiteat at Yinka Shonibare's Guest Projects, London
URBAN LEGEND, curated by Leonora Loeb, Vaudeville Park, Brooklyn
Collage Logic, organized by Jackie Shatz, and sponsored by Harvestworks, Governors Island May-Sept
2010 HALF TAMED BEAST, live dance performance, commissioned by Artis with support from ZOOM contemporary art fair Miami Dec 1-5
MEN DIE AND THEY ARE NOT HAPPY, solo project with Artis non-for-profit, at ZOOM, curated by Chen Tamir
PARLOUR NO. 17, curated by Meenakshi Thirukode
MEN DIE AND THEY ARE NOT HAPPY, 2 channel HD video installation, MFA thesis, Times Square Gallery, May 19-June 19
Site Unseen, Curated by Fabian G. Tabibian, Royal College of Art, London
Ghost Dance Machine, curated by Elisa Soliven, Vaudeville Park, Brooklyn
2009 PARLOUR NO. 11, curated by Ciara Gilmartin and Leslie Rosa-Stumpf, Bushwich Cedar House
ARTWALK NY to benefit the Coalition for the Homeless
Orit Ben-Shitrit/Aleksandar Duravcevic/Dejan Kaludjerovic Anna Kustera Gallery, September 10-October 17
MAs Select MFAs, Organized by Joachim Pissarro, curated by Sascha Crasnow, Times Square Gallery
Collage Logic, Curated by Joel Carreiro, Storefront Artist Project — Pittsfield, Massachusetts
DisEchoNance curated with Jared C. Deery. Artists: Ensemble One, Lauren Luloff and Jeff Thompson, Times Square Gallery.
A sound performance event, DisEchoNance consisted of three artists/groups performing simultaneously in separate rooms of the Gallery,
forming a virtual triangle. The sound produced by the artists spilled into other parts of the gallery, creating unique musical
compositions where viewers were active participants as they navigated the space.
2008 TALENT PReVIEW '09, curated by Renee Vara, White Box
Cryptoreal - Art and Myth, curated by Darren Jones, Francis Lewis Gallery@St George's, Flushing, Queens
WET with Liz Magic Laser, Martin Murphy, Suko Presseau and Jeremy Willis at Chashama Midtown
ALL HALLOWS' EVEN, Curated by Emily E. Elsen, The Gowanus Studio Space, Brooklyn
ARTWALK,NY, a tribute to Robert Rauschenberg to benefit the Coalition for the Homeless, Metropolitan Pavilion
In Transition Russia 2008, National Centres of Contemporary Art, Yekaterinburg and Moscow, Russia
The Mirror Stage, Lanitis Foundation, Limassol, Cyprus + catalogue
Loyal Rooftops 2008, curated by Martin Dege, Galerie Loyal, Kassel, Germany
American Dreams, Pace University Digital Gallery, Curated by Jillian Mcdonald, New York
(PAM) at Scope New York curated by Yiannis Colakides and Helene Black
Digital Media 1.0 Festival, La Nau Universitat de Valencia, Curated by Jillian Mcdonald, Valencia, Spain
Around The Coyote/Looptopia Curated by Catherine Forster, Chicago
2007 Loyal Rooftops 2007 curated by Martin Dege, Kassel, Germany
PIXILERATIONS [v.4]: Stories +/- Ornament, Providence, Rhode Island
The Most Curatorial Biennial of the Universe, apexart with Courtney Tramposh and Raphael Taylor
Three-Minute Film Fest, Root Division, San Francisco
Electric Rats Dream Video Dreams, Celje, Slovenia
2006 What War? Curated by Larry Litt and Eleanor Heartney, White Box, New York
Valentina's, Roebling Hall, organized by Guy Richards Smit
Groundswell Project Benefit at Exit Art
BAMart benefit
2005 Artists for Tsunami Relief benefit auction at Phillips de Pury & Company sponsored by the NY Daily News,
organized and curated by Orit Ben-Shitrit. 100% of funds donated to Americares.
Poles Apart Poles Together Parallel Project at the 51st Venice Biennale, homage to Leon Golub and Philip Pavia
Project Playdate with Jen Dunlap + Jess Ryan, curated by Amy Beecher, at Diamonds and Oranges Gallery, East Village
Groundswell Project Benefit at Artist's Space
2004 Pixelgraphic (Solo) Reed Whipple Gallery, alternative space, city of LV
The Infinite Fill Show - organized by Cory+Jaime Archangel, Foxy Production
2003 14th Annual Exhibition, Viridian Artists in Chelsea curated By Robert Rosenblum
5th Biennial Exhibition - A.I.R. Gallery, NYC curated By Shamim Momin
Fiction ‘n Pixels - a two person show, 55 Mercer Gallery, Soho curated By Jonathan Lev
54th Art of the Northeast - Silvermine Galleries, curated by Harry Philbrick
Awards/Residencies/Visiting artist:
2011 Visiting artist + workshop, University of Wisconsin—Madison
2010-2011 LMCC Swing Space Residency
2010 Tony Smith Award
2009 Two week workshop on the intersection between film and art with Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari
2008 Visiting Artist, Hunter College BFA
2005 SVA Summer Residency Program, NYC
2003 Viridian Artists Chelsea (award)
2002 Young Painters Competition, Miami University (award)
2001 NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship for Pixelgraphic
Commissions:
2011 Video commission for In Whole or in Part, a dance by Kate Corby at the University of Wisconsin—Madison
2010 Performance commission for Half Tamed Beast by Artis Contemporary at Zoom Miami
Bibliography:
Kepecs, Susan. "Kate Corby & Dancers" review, Dance Magazine, October 13, 2011
Farkas, Solange. "17th SESC_Videobrasil Southern Panoramas" exhibition catalogue, September 2011
Hazut, Yeala and Weinberg, Lee. "The Coming Community" exhibition catalogue, January 2011
Burg, Avital. "Arresting Apology", Haaretz Daily Newspaper, Galleria, Deccember 2, 2010: P. 7.
Laster, Paul. "Checking Out ZOOM...", artbasel.aol.com, Dec 2nd, 2010.
Marisa Mazria, Katz. "Focusing in on the Middle East",The Art Newspaper - Art Basel Miami Edition - December 3, 2010.
Schmitt, Amanda. Top 10 picks: May 2010.
Ben-Shitrit, Orit. INPUT journal, First Iteration, FRS, May 2009.
Warren, Fry. "DisEchoNance", The Brooklyn Rail, March 2009: p. 48.
Crasnow, Sascha. "MAs Select MFAs", exhibition catalogue, p. 17.
NYFA Featured Artist January 16, 2009.
Jones, Darren. "Cryptoreal - Art and Myth", exhibition catalogue, 2008.
Bleack, Helene and Colakides Yiannis. "In Transition Russia 2008", exhibition catalogue, 2008.
Heartney, Eleanor. MAKING GOOD LUCK, exhibition catalogue, 2007.
"Electric Rats Dream Video Dreams", exhibition catalogue, 2007.
"Poles Apart / Poles Together", exhibition catalogue, 2005.
"News Helps Raise 125G Tsunami Aid" NY Daily News, March 10, 2005: p. 36.
"Art with Heart" NY Daily News, March 9, 2005: 3 CN.
Artnet News, March 3, 2005.
Schillaci, Kelle. "Breaking it Down", Las Vegas CityLife, January 7, 2005.
Yowell, Erika. "Art: Pixelgraphic by Orit Ben-Shitrit", Las Vegas Mercury, January 6, 2005.
Laster, Paul. "Dreamland" Artnet, August 10, 2004.
Smith, Roberta. "The Infinite Fill Group Show", New York Times, August 6, 2004.
Dr. Ofrat, Gideon. "The Doll Show", Time for Art exhibition catalogue, 2004.
NYFA.org Featured Artist March 2, 2004.
Daniel, Michal. "Touch Through the Computer", Yediot America, March 28, 2003.
Jones, Richard. "Future Looks Bright for Digital Painting", Hamilton Journal, January, 2003: D4.
Education:
MFA Hunter College NYC
BFA + AAS, FIT, NYC
Study abroad at the London College of Communication
Bezalel Art Academy Foundation Course, Jerusalem