Gidon Agaza

Gidon Agaza

Gidon Agaza is a photographer, an artist and documentarist. Member of the “Beta Israel” (Ethiopian Jewish) community. He was born in Gonder, Ethiopia in 1984 and repatriated (“Aliyah”) with his family to Israel in 1996. Gidon holds a B.F.A from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.
Gidon set a major goal of using the tool of photography in order to promote the preservation and commemoration of the unique Ethiopian-Jewish heritage, as well as to document the daily lives, the struggles, the hopes and dreams of the community members in contemporary Israeli society. He believes that art should be available and approachable to the Beta Israel community and to society in general. Hence, it is very important for Gidon to present his works both in official art galleries as well as in community centers and schools.
Education
2008 – 2012: B.F.A. in Artistic Photography, the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Israel. During the studies took many courses in drawing, sculpture, design, design software and more.
1999 – 2003: Full matriculation diploma at the “Achuzat Yaacov” High School Yeshiva, Gan Yavneh, Israel.
Solo Exhibitions
2016: “X: Images of the Israeli-Ethiopians Riots”. The Ramat Eliyahu Art Studio.
2015: “Daily lives of the Beta Israel community in Israel”. The Rishon Letzion Municipal Gallery. Curator: Effi Gen.
2015: “Memory, Near and Far”, The Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel. Photographs depicting changes and continuation in the “Sigd” tradition, a unique ceremony of the Beta Israel community.
2014: “Our Way”. Yad Lebanim Gallery, Rehovot, Israel. A series of photographs documenting special occasions in the lives of the Beta Israel community in Israel. Curator: Ada Naamani.
2012: “The Sigd Ceremony, Then and Now”. The JCC Gallery, Rhode Island, U.S. Curators: Shai Afsai and Matan Graff. Also presented in Washington D.C. and other places.
Group Exhibitions
2016: “Material Identity, Cultural identity”. The Yavneh Gallery, Yavneh, Israel. Curator: Roni Reuven.
2016: “Belonging”. The Rishon Letzion Museum, Rishon Letzion, Israel. Curator: Carmel Gopher.
2016: “Waves”. The Rupin Academic Center Gallery. Curator: Guy Morag Tzepelevitch.
2016: “Banish the Darkness”. Benjamin Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel. Curator: Carmel Gopher.
2015: “United Colors of Ashkelon”. A mega-exhibition at the Ashkelon city promenade. Curator: Ariela Plotkin.
2015: “Yes – No, Black – White”. The “Beit Meirov” Gallery, Holon, Israel. Curator: Guy Morag Tzepelevitch.
2013: “Contemporary Jewish Art”. The Cinematheque Gallery, Jerusalem, Israel. Curator: Neomi Eshet – Rosenzweig.
2011: “I Can Also Do It”. Kiryat Moshe community center, Rehovot, Israel. A group exhibition of artists from the Beta Israel community, taking place in a local community center. The purpose: to get the community involved with art and get inspired by it. Initiator and curator: Gidon Agaze.
2010: “Asirey Hamakhtarot” Museum, Jerusalem, Israel. Curator: Carmel Gofen.
2009: Exhibition about Repatriation (“Aliyah”) and absorption in Israeli society by a group of repatriate (“Olim”) photographers. Beck Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
Bibliography
Dekel, Tal (2017) Gidon Agaze’s Work. In: Shula Keshet (Ed.) The Monk and the Lion: Contemporary Ethiopian Visual Art in Israel. Tel-Aviv: Ahoti