Gili Karev is an independent curator/writer from Tel Aviv. Together with her fellow curator and supported by Art Represent, she is realising the exhibition 'The Roar of Waters'. Inspired by the poetry of renowned Israeli poet and political activist Dahlia Ravikovitch, “The Roar of Waters” presents six female Israeli artists whose work speaks to the fragile and aggressive nature of their social and political identities. The exhibition, named after Ravikovitch’s 1964 poem of the same name, brings together artists whose work addresses the stoicism, disillusionment and hope in contemporary Israeli society. This is what her average day looks like.
9:00 - Coffee and Emails.
I always start my day by answering and emails and structuring my To-Do list. As I am often working on multiple projects or assignment simultaneously, To-Do lists are imperative for me to remain focused and on top of it all. On an average day I allocate time for two major projects: one in development and one in later stages of production. Right now I am working on the outline for an artist book as well as the fine-tunings of ‘Roar of Waters’; a curatorial proposal that looks at the nature of socio-political art from the perspective of a woman living in the contemporary Middle East.
11:00 - Library research
The Westminster Research Library in Leicester Square has a fantastic collection of art-related material. In preparation for the artist book, I spend the morning researching materials and preparing a presentation for a meeting with the artist later that day.
13:00 - Quick lunch on the way to a meeting at a potential exhibition venue for ‘Roar of Waters’ in Tottenham.
14:00 - Book development meeting with artist
My goal in these sorts of project is to reflect the intentions of the artist while offering my own analytical edge. Exchanging ideas and interpretations with artists about their work is an enriching look into the mind of the creator. If possible, I like to leave time after these meetings to walk home, reflect on our conversation and organise my thoughts about the project at hand.
17:00 - Meeting with potential collaborator in Soho
I am a strong believer in the power of collaboration. Right now I am in the conceptual stages of a larger multi-media project that will require a large network of curators, artists and academics. Our meeting is primarily a brainstorming session about the concept and scope of the project at hand.
18:00 - Exhibition opening
Openings have a tendency to be more about the people than the art, so I try to get there early enough to get a sense of the exhibition before the gallery fills up.
19:30 - Back at home for another round of emails and admin
Gili Karev (born 1988) grew up in the United States and around the Asia Pacific before arriving in Tel Aviv. She studied Literature and Asian Studies at Tel Aviv University, and Classical Art at the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts in Paros, Greece. Previously an art writer for the Hong Kong based magazine Manifesto, she currently works as an independent curator and art liaison between Israel and Hong Kong.