Yochai Avrahami    יוחאי אברהמי

 

 

In Israel and the Palestinian Territories, minibus-taxis are a form of public transport that operate as an alternative to the main bus company, occupying the space afforded by the inefficiencies of the dominant system. Their existence and organisation are a phenomenon particular to the region and tell us much about the political situation, the various border controls, ‘the separation fence’, the rules and regulations of transportation in Israel and the way people work together to overcome such disruptions.
Avrahami has been documenting and researching these minibuses and border controls as an outside observer, a passenger and an activist. The result is a multi-media installation that has grown out of his intense fascination with their physical existence and the many issues they demonstrate and represent. On the top floor of the Garanti building, to a backdrop of some of the many layers of İstanbul, Avrahami has created a whole environment comprising tens of models of these vehicles, as well as units that represent the natural surrounding landscape that physically contains them. Leading into the space is an empirical study room that includes documentary materials such as diagrams, articles, photos and recordings, accumulated during this extensive modelling process. 

 

November Paynter