Rachel Neiman
May 31, 2013

Last week was an unusual one at the new logistics center of the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality in Tel Giborim, at the southern end of Tel Aviv. The Center is designed to serve all the municipal operative divisions: sanitation, security, vehicle fleet, procurement and logistics. But on the eve of launching its mundane municipal duty, the Center took a few days to host Fresh Paint, Israel’s leading contemporary art fair,  turning its open spaces and buildings into a cultural hub for a week.
Painting by Matan Mitwoch

Fresh Paint features Israel’s leading contemporary art galleries and presents works by artists, both international and local, established and up-and-coming. Each year, the fair is held in a different, unusual location.  

Sisters by Elham Rokni_Halili

The fair’s Greenhouse gallery showcases work by 50 emerging Israeli artists out of which the winner of the Igal Ahouvi Most Promising Artist award is selected, as is Sotheby’s Under the Hammer award for the most noteworthy new independent artist.

Landscape by Iddo Markus

Mixed Media by Roy Mordechay and Rimma Arslanov

Sotheby’s also selected a noteworthy image from  the body of work by independent artist Liat Elbling, to be included in Sotheby’s international and Israeli art December auction in New York.

Interaction 1 and Interaction 2 by Liat Elbling

Sotheby’s stated, ” We at Sotheby’s are very intrigued and look forward to seeing the future unfolding of Liat Elbling’s fascinating artistic work.”

This year’s Most Promising Artist Award winners were Ella Littwitz and Amir Yatziv. They were chosen based on “overall artistic achievements that indicate the greatest potential for a fascinating future artistic development”.

Photo collage by Ella Littwitz.

The Dead Sea by Amir Yatziv.

The artists were awarded a NIS 40,000 cash prize and the opportunity for a solo exhibition at Fresh Paint 7 — future funky location to be announced.

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