Guy Ben-Ner makes video works whose presentation often invites the public’s participation in surprising ways. In a solo show at MassMOCA (2009), for example, museumgoers powered the display of one video work by pedaling a stationary bicycle. The presentation of Wild Boy (2004) includes a small hill with a tree and astroturf for visitors to rest on, imitating the (obviously fake) landscape that he built as a video set. Ben-Ner has often used his children as players in his humorous homemade productions. His story lines reference major works of literature, art, and cinema, addressing not only artistic traditions but also issues like socialization and human interaction. Ben-Ner received a Bachelor’s degree from Hamidrasha Art College in Ramat Hasharon in 1997 and his M.F.A. from Columbia University in 2003; he later received a grant from the DAAD to work in Germany. He has been featured in numerous shows, including at the Hayward Gallery, London (2008), the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia (2008), the Skulptur Projekte in Munster (2007), and the Musee d’Art Contemporain in Montreal (2007). Ben-Ner represented Israel at the fifty-first Venice Biennale (2005).

"Surplus Labor"
Address: Kazanskaya Street. 3 
Metro: Nevsky Prospekt, Gostiny Dvor, Admiralteskaya
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 18:45 - 19:45 (except Monday, Sunday)
Tickets: Free