Publicity and family, politics and privacy, philosophy and provocation, fun and criticism: the Israeli video artist Guy Ben-Ner lets all of this blend together in a very elaborate way. In Berlin, Ben-Ner presented a sample of his art form that breaks down existing boundaries.

At Ikea, the epitome of cosy living for Central Europeans, Guy Ben-Ner and his family made themselves at home for a few hours. They moved the furniture, raised the black flag of Anarchy, and began cooking in the kitchen — until the security service came. Then they moved to the next Ikea. Fortunately for the artist, Ikea has three stores in Berlin. The whole thing was documented on video, and the result is indeed very comical. The sound track, some of which was added in post-production, adds an important dimension to the statement with discussions of property and theft, of power in society and in the family, of money and love. The video, titled “Stealing Beauty”, was shown in the DAAD gallery in Berlin.

When Guy Ben-Ner came to Berlin in the summer of 2006, after five years in New York, he brought an international reputation with him. He had represented his native Israel at the previous year’s Venice Biennale with the project “Treehouse Kit”, which already shows elements of his Berlin work. The kit is a tree made of furniture parts that can be seen as a survival package for a modern-day Robinson Crusoe in an inhospitable environment.

Born in Israel in 1969, Ben-Ner began studying painting at Hamdidrasha Art College. In 2001 he enrolled at Columbia University in New York. He earned renown with his video art in which he and his family are the performers. “Sometimes,” he says, “it takes fiction to bring the truth to light.” Formal influences of Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton are visible in Ben-Ner’s work. Family constellations are a recurring theme, as for example in “Wild Boy,” which deals with Ben-Ner’s relationship with his son.

Ben-Ner achieved real popularity with a project in Münster, the “cyclists’ city,” in the summer of 2007. He outfitted bicycles with video players and screens showing the artist riding his bicycle through the city. The viewer controls the speed and direction of the film using the pedals.

“Berlin is a very exciting city, for artists in particular,” Ben-Ner finds. That’s why he has stayed in Berlin for the time being, together with his wife and two children, who often have a role to play in his work. In 2008 his works can be seen in Warsaw, Frankfurt, London, Philadelphia and New York. Guy Ben-Ner has also taken on a visiting professorship for free art in Braunschweig. “This is a whole new experience for me,” he says. “We’ll see what comes out of it.”