Uri Katzenstein ( he, אורי קצנשטיין; February 17, 1951 – August 24, 2018) was an

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...

visual artist, sculptor, musician, builder of

musical instruments A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

and sound machines, and film maker.

Background

Uri was born in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

in 1951 and was the only child of German-born parents who moved to Israel before the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

. In his youth, he played music and joined several

Rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

s. In 1969, he joined the

Israeli Defense Forces Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...

and fought in the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...

as a

medic A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder. Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgradu ...

. During the late 1970s of the 20th century, Uri studied at the

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...

and after receiving his MFA moved to New York City where he lived and worked throughout the 1980s. His early works, starting from the late 1970s, involved different

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

media

Exhibits An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...

, music, performance, video and

sound art Sound art is an artistic activity in which sound is utilized as a primary medium or material. Like many genres of contemporary art, sound art may be interdisciplinary in nature, or be used in hybrid forms. According to Brandon LaBelle, sound art ...

. In the mid-1990s of the 20th century, he began creating sculptured

Figurine A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cl ...

s, in addition to objects and sound machines which were all merged and composed as one time-based viewing / listening events.

Career

After returning to

, he and Noam HaLevi produced the show "Midas". In 1993 he took part in the rock opera "Samara" by

Hillel Mittelpunkt Hillel ( he, links=no, הלל, lit=praise) is a Jewish masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name * Hillel the Elder (110 BC–10 AD), Babylonian sage, scholar, and Jewish leader * Hillel, son of Gamaliel III (3rd century) ...

and the band Nikmat HaTraktor. In 1999, he issued a music album, along with Ohad Fishof, entitled "Skin O Daayba", which served as the basis for a musical performance. In 2001, he produced the show "Home" along with Renana Raz and Ohad Fishof. In the early 2000s he began to create

video art Video art is an art form which relies on using video technology as a visual and audio medium. Video art emerged during the late 1960s as new consumer video technology such as video tape recorders became available outside corporate broadcasting ...

consisting of

surreal Surreal may refer to: *Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art * "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki * ''Surreal'' (album), an album by Man Raze *Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor ...

events while emphasizing subject matter of personal identity. Among his notable works are ''Patʹshegen'' (1993) and "Family of Brothers" (''Mishpachat ha-Achim''; 2000). His early performance work was regularly presented at such legendary performance venues as

The Kitchen The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary avant-garde performance and experimental art institution located at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founde ...

, No-Se-No, 8BC and

Danceteria Danceteria was a nightclub that operated in New York City from 1979 until 1986 and in the Hamptons until 1995. The club operated in various locations over the years, a total of three in New York City and four in the Hamptons. The most famous locati ...

. His work in sculpture, , video and installation have been exhibited in museums including the

Russian State Museum The State Russian Museum (russian: Государственный Русский музей), formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (russian: Русский Музей Императора Александра III), on ...

(

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

), The

Chelsea Art Museum The Chelsea Art Museum (CAM) was a contemporary art museum located at 556 22nd Street (Manhattan), West 22nd Street on the corner of Eleventh Avenue (Manhattan), Eleventh Avenue in the Chelsea (Manhattan), Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New Y ...

(New York City), Kunsthalle Dusseldorf, The

Israel Museum The Israel Museum ( he, מוזיאון ישראל, ''Muze'on Yisrael'') is an art and archaeological museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world’s leading encyclopa ...

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

Museum of Art (

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

). Katzenstein participated in the Sao-Paulo Biennale (1991), the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

(2001), the

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Biennale Biennale (), Italian for "biennial" or "every other year", is any event that happens every two years. It is most commonly used within the art world to describe large-scale international contemporary art exhibitions. As such the term was popularis ...

(first prize, 2002), and the 9th

Istanbul Biennale The Istanbul Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition that has been held biennially in Istanbul, Turkey, since 1987. The Biennial has been organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) since its inception. Format Istanbul Bien ...

(2005). His performance work appeared in theatres and galleries in London, Berlin, San Francisco, Cardiff (Wales),

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St ...

(Spain), New York City, and

. From 2003 until his death Uri Katzenstein lectured in the Department of Fine Arts of the Faculty of Humanities at the

University of Haifa The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...

Death and legacy

Uri Katzenstein died on August 24, 2018, following a stroke. In September 2018, following his death, an exhibition which he was working on, entitled "The Institute of Ongoing Things" opened at the Jewish Historical Museum in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. In January 2019, another art exhibition which he was working on entitled "You Never Know" opened at the ZAZ10TS in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In October 2021, more than three years after his death, an exhibition focusing on the art of Uri Katzenstein entitled "Who Comes After Us?" opened at

Holon Holon ( he, חוֹלוֹן ) is a city on the central coastal strip of Israel, south of Tel Aviv. Holon is part of the metropolitan Gush Dan area. In it had a population of . Holon has the second-largest industrial zone in Israel, after Haifa. ...

’s Mediatheque and Center for Digital Art.

Awards

Katzenstein has received the following awards: * 1982 Creativity Encouragement Award,

Israeli Ministry of Education The Ministry of Education ( he, מִשְׂרָד הַחִנּוּךְ, translit. ''Misrad HaHinukh''; ar, وزارة التربية والتعليم) is the branch of the Israeli government charged with overseeing public education institutions ...

* 1989 Work Completion Award,

* 1992 Grant, The

America-Israel Cultural Foundation The America-Israel Cultural Foundation (AICF) is a non-profit American foundation that supports cultural projects in Israel. History The America-Israel Cultural Foundation was established in 1939 to support the growth and development of a Jewish ...

* 1998 Grant for Creators in the field of

Visual Arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

* 2000 Isracart Award,

Tel Aviv Museum of Art Tel Aviv Museum of Art ( he, מוזיאון תל אביב לאמנות ''Muzeon Tel Aviv Leomanut'') is an art museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. The museum is dedicated to the preservation and display of modern and contemporary art from Israel and aroun ...

* 2001 Biennale Award, Israeli Pavilion,

, Italy * 2002 1st prize,

of Art,

, Argentina * 2014 Dan Sandler and Sandler Foundation Award for Sculpting,

* 2017

Dizengoff Prize The Dizengoff Prize for Painting and Sculpture is awarded annually by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb ...

Books

* ha-Biʼanaleh ha-benleʼumit ha-21 shel San-Paʼulo 1991, Yiśraʼel (1991). ''by Nurit Daṿid, Yehoshuʻa Borḳovsḳi, Yiśraʼel Rabinovits, Uri Ḳatzenstein'' * פתשגן / Patʹshegen (1993). ''by Uri Katzenstein'' * Uri Katzenstein : missive : The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, (1993). ''by Uri Katzenstein'' * Families (2000). ''by Uri Katzenstein; Duke University. Evans Family Cultural Residency Program.'' * Uri Katzenstein : home : Venice Biennale 2001, the Israeli Pavilion (2001). ''by Uri Katzenstein; Yigal Zalmona; Ishai Adar; Binya Reches'' * Hope machines (2007). ''by Uri Katzenstein; Merkaz le-omanut ʻakhshaṿit (Tel Aviv, Israel)'' * Backyard (2015) ''by Uri Katzenstein; Tel-Aviv Museum''

Gallery

File:Uri Katzenstein 4 - April 2017.jpg, Works by Katzenstein at his studio in

, 14 April 2017 File:Uri Katzenstein 5 - April 2017.jpg, Works by Katzenstein at his studio in

, 14 April 2017 File:Uri Katzenstein - Sculpture.jpg, Uri Katzenstein, untitled sculpture at the

, August 2015 File: Uri Katzenstein - TIOOT 1.jpg, Uri Katzenstein exhibition, "The Institute of Ongoing Things", at the

Joods Historisch Museum The (; en, Jewish Museum), part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter, is a museum in Amsterdam dedicated to Jewish history, culture and religion, in the Netherlands and worldwide. It is the only museum in the Netherlands dedicated to Jewish history. ...

in Amsterdam, January 2019 File: Uri Katzenstein - TIOOT 2.jpg, Uri Katzenstein exhibition, "The Institute of Ongoing Things", at the

in Amsterdam, January 2019 File: Uri Katzenstein - TIOOT 3.jpg, Uri Katzenstein exhibition, "The Institute of Ongoing Things", at the

in Amsterdam, January 2019 File: Uri Katzenstein - TIOOT 4.jpg, Uri Katzenstein exhibition, "The Institute of Ongoing Things", at the

in Amsterdam, January 2019

Uri Katzenstein
on TimeOut
Uri Katzenstein
at the

Haifa Museum of Art The Haifa Museum of Art ( he, מוזיאון חיפה לאמנות, ar, متحف حيفا للفنون), established in 1951, is located in a historic building built in the 1930s in Wadi Nisnas, downtown Haifa. Ranking as Israel's third largest a ...

Prof. Uri Katzenstein lecturer page
at the

Uri Katzenstein
on Mediations Biennale 2010 (

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

) *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katzenstein, Uri 1951 births 2018 deaths Israeli male sculptors Israeli educators Israeli installation artists Israeli contemporary artists 20th-century Israeli male artists 21st-century Israeli male artists 20th-century Israeli male musicians 21st-century Israeli male musicians Artists from Tel Aviv Israeli people of German-Jewish descent