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Omer Fast
omer fast, a tank translated, 2002
installation vidéo, 4 moniteurs, 51cm, 4 socles dimensions variables
coproduction centre national e la photographie, paris
courtesy gb agency, paris
Born in 1972 in Jerusalem, he lives in New York and in Berlin.
One of the recurring themes in Omer Fast’s work is coming to understand a foreign culture by learning its language. In his video installation A Tank Translated, the artist presents his interviews with the four members of an Israeli tank crew, each one on a different tv screen. Speaking in Hebrew, they answer his questions about their roles in the tank and their sensations when going about their work. However, the subtitles that appear simultaneously at the bottom of the screen surreptitiously metamorphose, with new words replacing the original ones and composing an offbeat imaginary story. The installation is laid out in such a way as to mime the relative positions of each soldier in the tank.
Co-production Centre National de la Photographie, Paris.