Ellen-Auerbach-Stipendiat 2008
Jury: Sibylle Bergemann, Barbara Klemm, Helga Paris
Steve Sabella, born in Jerusalem in 1975, is a London / Berlin based artist. He is the holder of the Ellen Auerbach Award (2008) granted by the Akademie der Künste (Academy of the Arts) in Berlin and short-listed & exhibited for the Terry O’Neil Award of Contemporary Photography in the UK (2008). Sabella is also one of the commissioned artists for the inauguration of the Arab Museum of Modern due to open in Qatar Dec. 2010.
His project jerusalem in exile explored the mental image Palestinians held of Jerusalem and has gained international attention, leading to its production into a documentary film. Consequently, Sabella has been giving a visual form through photomontage to the ‘state of mind’ of living in ‘mental exile’.
Steve Sabella studied art photography at the Jerusalem School of Photography and New Media in 1994, and holds a BA in Visual Arts from the State University of New York (2007). Sabella received his first MA with a Caparo Award of Distinction in Photographic Studies (2008) from the University of Westminster and his second MA in Art Business (2009) at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. Sabella gave art talks / presentations in several places including the University of Cambridge, Turin University, SOAS, University of East London, Accademia Albertina Delle Belle Arti in Turin, Rostock University, Akademie der Künste in Berlin and the British Museum in London.
Sabella’s artworks and life triggered much media attention, including several TV & film documentaries. His earlier artworks have been reviewed in Palestinian Art by Kamal Boullata (Saqi Books 2009), and recent artworks have been reviewed in New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century (Thames & Hudson 2009). In Exile was on the front and back cover of Contemporary Practices journal VI, 2010 including two retrospective reviews.
Steve Sabella’s artworks have been collected by Ars Aevi museum in Sarajevo and leading collectors in the Middle East and Sabella participated in curatorial exhibitions with many international artists including Mona Hatoum, Farhad Moshiri, Emily Jacir, Mounir Fatmi, Armin Linke, Ursula Biemann, Khaled Hafez, Mitra Tabrizian, Cristina Lucas, Lara Baladi, Inci Eviner among others.
Selected Awards & Honors
2010
One of the commissioned artists for the inaugural exhibition of the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Qatar due to open Dec, 9, 2010
Artwork on the Front & Back cover of the 6th edition of Contemporary Practices Art Journal. The same artwork at Christie's auction April 27, 2010 for the International Modern and Contemporary Art (Dubai).
2008
Holder of the Ellen Auerbach Award (2008) granted by the Akademie der Kunster (Academy of the Arts) in Berlin, Germany.
Caparo Award of Distinction for the MA in Photographic Studies, University of Westminster.
Short listed and exhibited for the Terry O’Neil Contemporary Photography Award in the UK.
Said Foundation scholarship for a second Masters degree (Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art).
2007
Chevening Scholarship for a Master’s Degree in Photographic Studies at the University of Westminster.
Chosen as Artist of the Month (May) at The Virtual Gallery in Birzeit University in Palestine
2005
Chosen as one of Palestine’s Trade Marks in Pillars Magazine (Feb issue).
2004
Photographer of the Aga Khan Architectural Award 2004 (first prize) that was granted to the Welfare Association for its architectural revitalization project carried out in the Old City of Jerusalem.
2002
Winner of Young Artist Award competition organized by A.M. Qattan Foundation in Ramallah..
Exhibitions (solo)
May 2010
Retrospective exhibition on the concept of exile at the Metroquadro Gallery in Rivoli/Turin in Italy.
July to October 2005
Kan Yama Kan & Till the End at the French Cultural Center in Jerusalem and at the Franco-German Cultural Center in Ramallah, Palestine.
September 2003 to April 2004
End of Days at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Nablus, the International Center of Bethlehem, Al-Hallaj Gallery in Ramallah, French Cultural Center in Gaza, and French Cultural Center in Jerusalem.
November 2002
Life is Splendid at the Artotheque De Montreal gallery in Montreal Canada.
September 2002
Identity at the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center in Ramallah.
August 2002
Search at the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center in Ramallah.
February 1998
Search at the French Cultural Center in Jerusalem.
Exhibitions (group, selected)
Jun 2010
Berlin, Young Academy, Akademie der Kunste
Mar 2010
Dubai, This is Not a Love Song, The Empty Quarter Gallery
Jan 2010
Bahrain, Palestine la Creation dans Tous Ses Etats, National Museum of Bahrain
Sep 2009
London, UK. NOW Art of the 21st Century. Phillips de Pury
Jun 2009
Paris, France. Palestine la Creation dans Tous Ses Etats, Institut du Monde Arabe
May 2009
Berlin, Germany. Deconstructing Myths & Realities, Gallery Caprice Horn
Mar 2009
East Sussex, UK. In Exile, Independent Photographers Gallery
Nov 2008
London, UK. In Exile, Fulham Palace. Artwork short listed for the Terry O’Neil Contemporary Photography Award
Oct 2008
Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Mentalopia at Collegium Artisticum City Gallery as part of the Istanbul Collection for Ars Aevi Museum
Sep 2008
London, UK. In Exile as part of the SKIP INTRO exhibition
Apr 2008
Turin, Italy. In Exile at Palazzo Piozzo as part of the Gates of the Mediterranean, curated by Martina Corgnati
Jul 2007
Jerusalem. Challenging Walls, an international exhibition that was projected on the Separation Wall in Jerusalem
Mar 2007
Istanbul, Turkey. Mentalopia as part of the Neighbors in Dialogue exhibition, curated by Beral Madra
Jun 2006
Cork, Ireland. Exit, Art in a Social Context, organized by Boomerang Theatre. Nov 2005 Bethlehem. Kan Yama Kan as part of an International exhibition on Land People & Identities at the International Center of Bethlehem
Jan 2005
New York . At Home at the Abrons Arts Center.
Sep 2004
Ramallah, Palestine. Till the End – spirit of the place at the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center.
Oct 2004
Frankfurt – Germany. Frankfurt Book Fare, as part of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture participation.
Jan 2003
Chicago, USA. Mind, Body, & Soul, ARC Gallery.
Dec 2002
Rome, Italy. Eyes from Jerusalem at the Museum of Rome in Trastevere.
May 2002
Jerusalem. Homeland at the Jerusalem School of Photography.
Apr 1999
Jerusalem. Kick Off , The New Gallery.
Feb 1998
Tel Aviv. Search at Beit Ha'am gallery.
Jul 1997
Tel-Hai. Untitled (light boxes) at the Tel-Hai museum.
i n e x i l e
The key words for my work are disorientation and dislocation. The latter word should be
more understood in terms of disorder, disturbance and confusion. Living in a constant
state of ‘mental exile’, I have become more conscious to the consequences of the state of
being a ‘foreigner at home’.
Hence, the work is showing “states of mind” that express alienation. We are no more looking
at common objects, but we are looking through them. The work is of an ambivalent nature as
at one point it attracts, but once one enters the constructed space, the work also repels
or triggers mixed feelings about the world. I am assembling my own constructions—creating a
new structure, or a new “impossible reality“ of common shapes and forms. However, I am not
sure whether my reconstructions are making the world or my perception of it any simpler.