Fortunately, Guy Ben-Ner did not crash land, unlike in the exhibition’s title motif, but we had to learn our own “Flying Lessons” because the artist missed his flight and was therefore unable to arrive in Oldenburg in time for the artist talk. As a result, we are unfortunately unable to offer you a talk with Guy Ben-Ner about his work, but will instead be showing the films that are not on show in the exhibition itself and which the artist would have talked about this evening. The scientific team of the Edith-Ruß-Haus for Media Art will provide a further introduction to Ben-Ner’s work and will be available for questions and discussions.

Household (2001) is Ben-Ner’s adaptation of the film Ein zum Tode Verurteilter ist entkommen (Un condamné à mort s’est échappé) by Robert Bresson (1956). However, Ben-Ner’s story of a prisoner who escapes from the clutches of the National Socialists in a spectacular way is transferred to the absurd situation of being trapped under his son’s crib and organizing his liberation with a series of absurd tools and actions.

Wild Boy (2004) is also based on a movie. Here, Ben-Ner adapts Francois Truffaut’s The Wolf Boy (L’enfant sauvage), in which the child who grew up in the wilderness is played by his son Amir, while Ben-Ner takes on the role of the doctor Jean Itard. He also takes up the real-life private situation in which he had to take care of his son’s upbringing at home at the time. As an adaptation of Truffaut’s film, Wild Boy contains caricaturing elements. Nevertheless, it is a depressing study of parental power and the socialization of a child.

Treehouse Kit (2005) was Ben-Ner’s work as Israel’s representative at the 2005 Venice Biennale. Alongside the installation of a tree made of furniture parts, a film was shown in which Ben-Ner, as a stranded person, demonstrates the practical use of his sculpture. The tree is gradually transformed into a complete room with a bed, chair, table and parasol, from which the sculpture was originally created during the artistic process. The artist remains in the isolation in which he is stranded, but has made it homely and civilized.

All three films once again show Ben-Ner’s humorous, ironic, but also highly socio-critical approach and are a good complement to the works on display in the exhibition. We hope to be able to provide as much information on the background, intentions and effects of Ben-Ner’s works as the artist himself and would be delighted to welcome you to the Edith Russ House this evening.