Netai Halup

Netai Halup’s (b.1991) body of work explores the possible performativity that sculptures can manifest. Through the use of organic and industrial materials, he creates precarious compositions that are held together by the force of tension, pressure, and balance. Theatre, poetry, and literature take a major role in Halup’s installations, and thus give context to his sculptural language. The works evolve around the materials’ potential to tell a story, to act as “bodies” — as characters — that perform poetic relationships within the installations.

Halup's work has been exhibited in contemporary art galleries around Barcelona, such as Galería Carles Tache, Galería àngels, and Espronceda, where he exhibited his solo exhibition as part of 'Art Nou' festival in 2019. He was one of the finalists in BIG awards 2018 and received a grant for Nectar AIR program. In 2017, Halup founded 'Pujós Studios,' art studios and exhibition space for art and critical thinking. During 2020 Halup moved back to Israel and took part in Artport’s Spring residency program in 2021. In 2022, Halup had a solo exhibition at Artport Gallery, Tel Aviv, and installed a permanent public sculpture in the city of Ofakim, Israel. In 2023 he took part in Arad Contemporary Art Center Residency Program and built a big-scale installation for Zumo Museum, Acre. Today, Netai Halup lives and works in Tel Aviv.

 

Scrapyard Movements #1

Below Netai Halup's studio there is a scrapyard, an area of about 5000 m2 that functions as a stage for dozens of workers who slam, melt, grind, shred, and maneuver different kinds of metal. On his way to the studio, he constantly passes through this territory, through this stage of the workers, who have become characters for him. Every column features a visual mapping the artist made in response to the various scrapyard events . Every map is joined by a sound work by composer Sean Farage, using recordings of sounds emerging from this yard. Farage uses the drawn maps as a score to create...