AFAD and Israel

The AFAD participation in Jerusalem Design Week, Slovakia as the main guest of the jubilee 10th anniversary of the international photography festival PHOTO IS:RAEL, the opening of a residency program at the House of Artists for Slovak artists or expansion of partnership with Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art. These are the positive results of the AFAD's cooperation with the Slovak Institute in Jerusalem.

The AFAD continues to expand its professional partnerships outside Europe. During his stay in Israel, the Vice-Rector for International Cooperation doc. Mgr. art. Marcel Benčík, ArtD. together with the director of SI Jerusalem, Jakub Urik, met with several representatives of the cultural and academic fields in order to find an intersection in their professional interests and possibilities. Meetings with various institutions in Israel have successfully resulted in the preparation of partnerships and specific projects.

Jakub Urik, director, SI Jerusalem, is pleased with the outcome of the negotiations: “By presenting themselves to a larger audience at a global level, the artists gain international credit, which is a condition for further cooperation. The most important platform in the field of photography in Israel is the international photography festival PHOTO IS:RAEL, where we managed that Slovakia will be the main guest of the jubilee 10th anniversary of the festival. Another important result is the agreement on cooperation in the field of artistic residencies with the House of Artists, where, for the first time in history, Slovak artists will also be able to come to the residencies. The third specific project is Slovakia's participation in Jerusalem Design week 2022 in Hansen House, which is an annual top event in the field of design, closely monitored by professionals and the general public. Last but not least, I am pleased that the AFAD has succeeded in expanding collaborations with the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and the Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art.”

Marcel Benčík, AFAD's Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, is convinced that cooperation with Israel in the field of culture is really worth it: “Israel is one of those countries that understands our art well and we understand theirs. We are very pleased that the Slovak Institute was established in Jerusalem, because Israel is a strategic partner for us as the AFAD. The Slovak Institute in Jerusalem works exactly as we imagine that the institution that presents us abroad within the framework of culture should function. Jakub Urik prepared the ground for us, negotiated individual projects ahead, arranged meetings with institutions that had chosen the AFAD as partners from Slovakia. We came to agree on the details, numbers and funding of each project, which also belongs to this work. It is a matter of prestige for every artist to take part in some events or festivals, and these, with whom we have agreed to work in Israel in recent days, are among them."

Representatives of the AFAD in Israel. From left: Vice-Rector for International Cooperation Marcel Benčík and Head of the Department of Visual Communication Juraj Blaško.