Artist Of The Week: Or Harpaz

#AnInterview! Or Harpaz is a Tel-Aviv born visual artist and photographer whose multiply awarded work reflects his own reality and the collective reality around him. Through his work, he communicates in ways people can relate to and his vision becomes part of the viewer’s vision, as his worlds melt into a synthetic work of art.

KB: You shoot portraits, interiors, exteriors, nature… Your work is so varied? Was it always like that? How different is shooting different things? How do you approach each category?

Or: My work is a by-product of the reality of my life. It deals with my personal biography and the collective memory of the society in which I live in, and tie political reality to social reality. I am trying to keep sociopolitical awareness and to engage with a wide range of subjects.

KB: Where do you usually get inspiration from?

Or: My interests vary and include a lot of worlds melted to a synthetic work of art: Humor and queer, staged and spontaneous, documentary and political, local and international, fake and authentic, illusion and reality, consumerism and gender. These themes are all part of my work.

KB: I love how you develop projects and themes. And the titles! What is your working process?

Or: I want to communicate in a way that people can understand. I try to be a curator of experience and thought, and bring myself and the viewer closer to something. I try to filter the world’s noise and create a narrative out of disorder; to convey my point of view in a new cultural space with different politics and new influences, different codes and new languages.

KB: How much would you say art school defined your style? How so?

Or: My style was always there and was developed at a very young age, and still developing every day. Art school really helped me develop myself as an artist. It kept challenging me and my way of seeing things and thinking about things. Most of all it made me think about what I create and often think before I create, which was something I lacked. I could explain myself better and in that way communicate better with the viewer.

KB: Of all places, you have seen, is there someplace that left an imprint on you and your perspective as an artist?

Or: I have to say I’ve been touched and imprinted by many places. Each visit to a new place brings its own new experience. I loved living in San Francisco for a while many years ago. The people and colors everywhere were a big celebration.

KB: Are you working on something at the moment? WHat would be your dream project?

Or: Currently, I’m doing a lot of interior commercial work and continue to create as I go. Dream project is definitely driving across the country for a full summer and just take many, many, many pictures along the way. I have a still life project planned, but I think I lost the main subject matter when my studio was under renovation so it’s currently on hold, unfortunately.

www.orharpaz.com

www.instagram.com/oharpaz