Lucid Dreams catalog- Itamar Freed & Kristina Chan

Lucid Dreams Itamar Freed & Kristina Chan

Lucid Dreams Opening: October 31, 2019 Catalogue Editors: Orit Ephrat-Moscovitz and Moria Bachar Design: Nelly Levin English Editor: Sivan Raveh Photography: Youval Hal Measurements are given in centimeters, height x length

Š 2019 All rights reserved to Litvak Contemporary, Tel Aviv

Litvak Contemporary 3 Shvil Hamifal Street, Tel Aviv 66535, ISRAEL +972-3-7163897 www.litvakcontemporary.com

Itamar Freed & Kristina Chan

Lucid Dreams - Itamar Freed & Kristina Chan Itamar Freed and Kristina Chan present photographic works that search for vanishing notions of realness in the natural world. Influenced by post-impressionism, Japanese prints and contemporary photography, Lucid Dreams questions the veracity of the photograph in the tension between the real and the fantastic. As in a lucid dream, the artists control the narrative, characters and environment in the depicted landscapes. The work features photographs of places and sites the artists have visited, combined with images from curated environments such as museums, zoos, and digital materials. Freed and Chan question how images of places might displace or augment their understanding and memory of them.

Each work began as a digital photograph that was then printed on Japanese paper as cyanotypes, lithographs, etchings and pigment prints. By combining technological and traditional media the works are displaced in time and space, decontextualizing the image. The subject is isolated allowing the selective role of the human lens to come into focus. The seen and the associations and memories of the artists merge to form a narrative between the viewer and the place. An experiential space is crafted between fact and fiction, fantasy and reality. This allows the artists to reflect on their own displacement.

Freed and Chan work with themes of geographic and physical displacement, and seek to preserve nature in the form of artefacts – historical objects that exist independently of a specific period in time.

Chan’s work explores site-specific history and narratives. She seeks the intimacy and reverence of forgotten spaces, shaped to suit human needs that have been rendered obsolete. Freed’s work features habitats from across the globe, and questions the distinctions between natural and artificial, real and manufactured. Images of landscapes, natural history museums, botanical gardens, zoos and the artist’s studio are combined to create an array of fictitious places that exist solely within the photographic frame. In Lucid Dreams, Freed and Chan continue to interrogate the presentation of nature through a human lens.

Dream in Blue, Cyanotype on Tosa Wasa handmade Japanese paper, 78 x 58 cm each, Edition of 3 For inquiries please click here

Dream in Blue, Cyanotype on Tosa Wasa handmade Japanese paper, 78 x 58 cm each, Edition of 3 For inquiries please click here

Dream in Blue, Cyanotype on Tosa Wasa handmade Japanese paper, 78 x 58 cm each, Edition of 3 For inquiries please click here

Dream in Blue Cyanotype on Tosa Wasa handmade Japanese paper, 78 x 58 cm each, Edition of 3 For inquiries please click here

Peacock, Photography, inkjet pigment print on archival Kozo Japanese paper 175 x 110 cm, Edition of 5 For inquiries please click here

Barred Owl, 2019, Photography, inkjet pigment print on archival Kozo Japanese paper, 110x110 cm, Edition of 5 For inquiries please click here

Aloe Vera I, 2019, Cyanotype on Tosa Wasa handmade Japanese paper, 60 x 70 cm, Edition of 5 For inquiries please click here

Aloe Vera II, 2019, Cyanotype on Tosa Wasa handmade Japanese paper, 60 x 70 cm, Edition of 5 For inquiries please click here

Oh Deer 2+3, 2019, Photography, inkjet pigment print on archival Kozo Japanese paper, 138 x 90 cm. Edition of 5 For inquiries please click here

Oh Deer 1, 2019, Photography, inkjet pigment print on archival Kozo Japanese paper 138 x 90 cm. Edition of 5 For inquiries please click here

Oh Deer 4, 2019, Photography, inkjet pigment print on archival Kozo Japanese paper 138 x 90 cm. Edition of 5 For inquiries please click here

Cypress Tree I, 2019, Etching with chine colle on Zerkyl Natural 63 x 47 cm, Edition of 10 For inquiries please click here

Cypress Tree I I, 2019, Etching with chine colle on Zerkyl Natural 63 x 47 cm, Edition of 10 For inquiries please click here

Cypress Tree I I I, 2019, Etching with chine colle on Zerkyl Natural 63 x 47 cm, Edition of 1/1 For inquiries please click here

Orange Tree, 2019, Photography, inkjet pigment print on archival Kozo Japanese paper, 110x133 cm, Edition of 5 For inquiries please click here

Awagami Inkjet Papers Awagami Inkjet Papers have a major role in Freed and Chan’s new body of work. The long fibers provide this Japanese paper the unique quality of being thin and as strong as most heavy weight printmaking papers.

Awagami Inkjet Papers are Japanese washi papers created solely in Tokushima Mill to yield museum quality digital prints. Awakami papers are crafted from natural fibers and pure mountain water and specially coated to maximize the creative potential digital print and unveil new artistic possibilities.

Japan has a long history of papermaking that dates back to about 700 A.D, when began around Awa in the Tokushima prefecture on Shikoku island. Plants and other materials that were ideal for papermaking grew here in abundance. Early papers were used mainly for religious texts, political records and literary works, principally by the aristocracy, priests and samurai.

The Fujimori family has been making washi papers at their Awagami Factory in Tokushima since 1825.

Since antiquity, Japanese washi paper has been made from renewable plant resources that grow to maturity in 1-2 years. Plant Resources such as bamboo, banana leaf, hemp, and Kozo. When compared to wood-based papers (that take dozens of years to mature and require many chemicals), washi is created with significantly less harm to our environment in a clean and eco-friendly manner. In the traditional spirit of Japan, Awagami papermaking maintains a caring and nurturing focus on the environment.

Freed and Chan chose to use Awagami Inkjet Papers due to the fact that it is one of the oldest and most traditional papermakers in the world, not just Japan. It has a strong link to printmaking and early photography and was the paper of choice for traditional Japanese woodblock prints. Moreover, reflecting on Van Gogh’s Japonisme as inspiration to Freed and Chan’s current body of work, the Awagami paper used for their prints is the same Awagami paper that would have been used by printers that inspired Van Gogh and in turn inspired them.

Itamar Freed Born in Manhattan, New York, 1987 Lives & works in London/ Tel Aviv/ New York/ Australia

EDUCATION

2017

2016-2018 M.A - Royal College of Art, Photography Program, London, United Kingdom.

Artist in Residence - Bilpin international ground for creative initiatives (BigCi), Bilpin, Blue Mountains, Australia.

2007-2012 B.F.A - Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Department of Photography, Jerusalem.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2019

FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.

PRIZES & AWARDS

2018

Whispering to Venus, Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom.

2017

Floating, Bilpin international ground for creative initiatives (BigCi), Sydney, Australia.

2019

Award of 10,000 AUD for exhibiting Israeli Artist at Sculpture by The Sea, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia.

2018

Shortlisted for the Tiffany & Co. and Outset Studiomakers Prize, London, UK

2018/19

Travers Smith’s CSR Art Programme

2018

Shortlisted for the Athens Photo Festival Shortlisted by Clare Freestone, Curator at National Portrait Gallery, London, for the Metro Imaging Award, London UK. Shortlisted for the Royal Photographic Society International Print Exhibition 159

2016

Winner of the Clore Bezalel Scholarship & a full grant for a Master’s degree at the Royal College of Arts, London, valued at over 70,000 GBP

2015

Shortlisted for the Athens Photo Festival

2012

“EPSON” first prize Award winner for excellence in the art of photography, Israel

RESIDENCIES 2019

The Crow’s Nest Artist in Residence Creative Spaces, Sunshine Coast, Australia, December 2019 Airie Artist in Residence in Everglades 2019, Everglades

Itamar Freed, VOLTA NY, Pier 90, New York City, USA, March 2015

No Time, Ramat-Gan Museum for Israeli Art, Israel, July Birds of Paradise, Gitler &____ Gallery, Manhattan, New York.

2014

Birds of Paradise, Feinberg Projects Gallery, Tel Aviv, September

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2019-2020 Fragile, Airie Gallery at Ernest F. Coe, Everglades national Park, Florida, USA. 2019

Swell Sculpture Festival, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.

Head On Photo Festival, Sydney, Australia.

Sculpture by The Sea, Cottesloe, Perth, Australia.

2018

Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia.

The International Photography Festival, Israel.

London Nights, Museum of London, London, United Kingdom.

Center for Photographic Art, California, USA. Sculpture Inside, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia.

Tel Aviv Photo - group exhibition, Tel Aviv.

2013

Flock, Promising Graduates in London, GX Gallery, London, UK.

“Surface currents” – group exhibition (Uri Gershoni, Itamar Freed, Anna Yam, Roy Cooper, Liat Elbling), “FEINBERG PROJECTS” Gallery, Tel Aviv.

“NordArt”, International Art Exhibition, Büdelsdorf, Germany.

“Memory” – Group exhibition,“indie” Gallery, Tel Aviv.

“Hope” AZA 13, Jaffa, Israel.

2017

2012-2013 “OBJECTS”, group show, Tel Aviv.

Imaginary Spaces, Mana Contemporary, New Jersey, USA.

2012

British Friends of Israeli Museums, BFAMI 70th Gala, Christie’s Auction House, London, UK. A Privet Moment In Public, Haifa Museum of Art, Haifa, Israel.

“NordArt 2016”, International Art Exhibition, Büdelsdorf, Germany.

“Musrara Mix”, Musrara gallery, Jerusalem.

“ArTi Fair Galleries at Tiroche”, Herzelia, Israel 2015

“NordArt 2015”, International Art Exhibition, Büdelsdorf, Germany.

“Journey between the Stars” group exhibition, Musrara gallery, Jerusalem.

2014

“Promising artist in 2013 (Exhibition) Calcalist , Tel Aviv.

Pulse Miami, Miami Beach, Florida, USA. Paddle8, Grosvenor House, London, UK.

2016

“Bread & roses”- group exhibition, Castiel Gallery, Tel Aviv.

“Bread & roses”- group exhibition, Castiel Gallery, Tel Aviv Turning the Tables, group exhibition, Bezalel Gallery, Tel Aviv.

The International Photography Festival, Israel.

“UNDER” Exhibition, Bezalel Gallery, Jerusalem.

COLLECTIONS JPMorgan Chase Art Collection The Clore Duffield collection The Estee Lauder art collection Lauren & Mitchell Presser collection USA State department (Art in Embassies)

Kristina Chan

EDUCATION

2017

2014-2016 Royal College of Art, London: MA Printmaking (Distinction)

Asterism; Kristina Chan & Kaamna Patel, E.Space, Thalassante, Marseilles, France.

2016

2010-2011 Parsons The New School of Design, Exchange Studies, New York

Asterism; Kristina Chan & Kaamna Patel, Project 88, Mumbai, India.

2014

Uncharted; Kristina Chan & Kaamna Patel, Espace Barrell, Paris, France

2009-2013 Parsons Paris School of Art and Design: BFA Honours

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2019

Lucid Dreams, Litvak Contemporary, Tel Aviv, Isreal (in collaboration with Itamar Freed) Adrift, BigCi, Blue Mountains, Australia

2014 2011

Off-Site: Stage Right, Spike Print Studios Residency Exhibition, Bristol, UK

AWARDS 2018

Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Project Grant, Montreal, Canada Wells Art Contemporary (WAC) Awards Finalist, Wells, UK.

2017

Royal Society of Painters Printmakers (RE) Anthony Dawson Young Printmaker Award, London, UK RSA Guthrie Award, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, UK. Edinburgh Printmakers Award, Edinburgh Printmakers, Edinburgh, UK The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant Award, Montreal, Canada Wyng Media Award (WMA) Commission, Finalist, Hong Kong.

Cityscapes, Book Launch Event, Espace Barrell, Paris, France Anywhere but Now, The Art Way Gallery, Vancouver, Canada

Jerwood Artist Bursary, Shortlist, London, UK Aesthetica Art Prize, Shortlist, London, UK.

SELECTED DUO EXHIBITIONS 2019

Asterism, Kristina Chan & Kaamna Patel, Serendipity Arts Festival Featured Exhibition, Goa, India Buzz From the Bush, Kristina Chan & Alissa Anne Jeun Yi, London, UK Bush Theatre, London.

2016

Stanley Pickler Tutorship & Fellowship in Fine Art Printmaking, Kingston University, Finalist Nominee, Kingston-Upon-Thames, UK.

Frestonian Gallery, London

Artists As Independent Publishers, Publishing Bursary, London, UK Griffin Art Prize, Griffin Gallery, Longlist, London, UK.

Exhibit A, Anise Gallery, London, UK

Sustain RCA, Finalist, London, UK.

Kristina Chan, Gallery TEN, Edinburgh, UK

Villiers David Travel Award & Grant, London, UK.

Elephant West, London 2018

Peter Reddick Award for Innovation in Relief Printing, Spike Print Studios, Finalist, Bristol, UK.

2015

The 5th Annual Exposure Award: Black and White Collection, Musee du Louvre, Paris, France Remit Casting Prize, Nominated Finalist, London, UK. Signature Art Prize, The DegreeArt Gallery, Finalist, London, UK Young Artist Award, The Cork Street Open Exhibition, London, UK Governor General’s Award for Excellence, Vancouver, Canada.

2013

Government of Canada Millennium Award & Bursary, Vancouver.

2010

Canada Summit Award & Bursary, Vancouver, Canada.

2009

Summit Award & Bursary, Vancouver, Canada

RESIDENCIES

V&A Museum Temporality Boxset, Edition 1/29, Permanent Print Archive, London, UK Royal College of Art Permanent Print Archive, London, UK 2015

Shanghai Institute of Visual Art (SIVA), Permanent Print Archive, London, UK

2014

El Minia University Permanent Archive, SIPS 15 International Small Prints Show, Egypt The Artists’ Press

2013

Print Archive, White River, South Africa

2011

Parsons Paris Institute of Art and Design Permanent Archive, Paris, France Parsons The New School for Design Permanent Archive, New York, USA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2019

Big CI Artist Residency & Solo Exhibition, Blue Mountains, Australia

2018

The Florence Trust, Resident Artist, London, UK

2017

East London Printmakers, Project Keyholder, London, UK

Day to Night, Dusk Till Dawn, AW Contemporary, Saffron Waldon

2017

Spike Print Studios, July Residency and Exhibition, Bristol, UK

101st SSA Annual, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh

2017

Leith School of Art Artist-In-Residence, Edinburgh, UK

2014

The Artists’ Press, White River, South Africa

2019

2018

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London, UK. Hill And Park, Frestonian Gallery,

Wells Art Contemporary (WAC) Finalist Exhibition, The Bishop’s Palace, Wells, UK National Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London

PERMANENT COLLECTIONS

Summer Open, Florence Trust, London, UK

2018

Royal Collection, The Large Haddon, edition 1/1, London, UK

Oseana Kunst og Kunstsenter, Bergen, Norway

Royal College of Art, Permanent Archive, The Large Haddon, A/P, London, UK Edinburgh

Masters In Print, Gallery TEN, Edinburgh, UK

2016

Printmakers, Gallery Consignment, Edinburgh, UK

Winter Open, Florence Trust, London, UK 2017

In Medias Res, Leith School of Art, Edinburgh, UK

Musee du Louvre, Paris, France

RSA Open Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, UK GATHER: a re-collection, Europe House, London, UK

Rising Stars Exhibition, The New Ashgate Gallery, Surrey, UK Signature Art Prize, The DegreeArt Gallery, London, UK

KoMASK Printmaking Master’s Salon, Royal Academy of Fine Art, Antwerp, Belgium 4th Edition

RCA Secret Show, Dyson Gallery, London, UK

Hidden Door Festival Launch Event, The Biscuit Factory, Edinburgh, UK LSA Live Auction, Lyon and Turnbull Fine Art Auction House, Edinburgh, UK

2016

RCA Secret Show, Art Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Boxed Out, CPG Gallery, London, UK 2014

Federation of British Artists (FBA) Futures, Mall Galleries, London, UK

Spirits in the Material World, Galerie Nouvel Organon, Paris, France American Artists, Galerie Artysne, Paris, France

Transitions, Crypt Gallery, ArtisTank, London, UK

SeeMe Take Over Times Square, Installation, Time Square, New York, USA

Charity Christmas Original Artwork Postcard Sale, Anise Gallery, London, UK

2013

Set Geometries, Jewellery Collection, The Art Way Gallery, Vancouver, Canada Notes on..., Galerie eof, Paris, France

Summer Graduate Show, Anise Gallery, London, UK

Cork Street Open Exhibition, The Gallery on Cork Street, London, UK

Post-Graduate Degree Show, Royal College of Art, London, UK RCA Secret Show, Guilbenkian Galleries, London, UK

Cork Street Open Exhibition, The Gallery on Cork Street, London, UK

RCA Secret Show, Art Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Stories, Fables, Fact and Fiction, The Linus Galleries, California, USA

RCA Secret Show, Alserkal Avenue Art Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Emancipation, The Linus Galleries, California, USA

Break/Link, CPG Galleries, London 2015

Metabards, IDIO Gallery, New York, USA

Fiddling While Earth Burns (Peter Kennard Collaboration), Dyson Gallery, London, UK Breaking Borders, The 5th Annual Exposure Awards, Black and White

2012

(After)Thought, PCA Galleries, Paris, France Angles and Curves, The Linus Galleries, California, USA Print, The New School Galleries, New York, USA

COMMISSIONS 2020

Petrichor, Bromley Council & Amber CPC , public sculpture, London, UK

2019

Our Big Book, Izzy Thomson, bespoke binding, University of Highlands and Inverness, Lottery Funded, UK Buzz from the Bush, Elephant West and Bush Theatre, London, UK

2018

British Museum 19th Century Catalogue, etching edition and restoration team, British Museum, London The Large Haddon, HRH Prince of Wales, Aquatint, Royal College of Art, London, UK

2015

Standing Stones, Helping Hands Trust & Leith School of Art, Edinburgh, UK Metabards, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, bronze EP cover, Edinburgh, UK

2014

Metabards, Trademark Logo Design, London, UK Fairly Squared Cafe Bar, Interior Bar Design, London, UK