Tal Maslavi, Guy Nechemad Stern and Pasha Tokarev Talks Collaborating for a Fashion Editorial in Times of Pandemic
A collaboration between three students, from different fields and different art schools in Israel: Tal Maslavi from the Shenkar Department of Fashion Design, Guy Nechemad Stern from the Bezalel Department of Fine Art and Pasha Tokarev from the Shenkar Department of Fine Art. Shoot a genderless yet full of identity editorial at the artist/model’s studio, which located in the iconic Bauhaus building in the stock exchange complex in the city of Ramat Gan.
This cross-medium editorial reveals to us the importance of social media in the work of students today, especially in times of crisis. With proper use of the virtual world, it is possible to meet and collaborate with people who might not have been connecting in the real world.
The three spoke with gggaaallleeerrryyy about connecting and collaborating through social media.
gggaaallleeerrryyy: How did you get to know each other, and what made you want to collaborate?
Guy: Tal and I have known each other for years. I photographed his first collection before we even started studying
Tal: I met Pasha in a curatorial course at Shenkar, I was exposed to his works on Instagram, and I knew I would work with him sooner or later.
gggaaallleeerrryyy: What did you try to convey through this collaboration?
Tal: For me, it was crucial that everyone brings their authentic selves. The project was not just for one person, we all worked on this together, we are all equally involved in this collaboration, and it served us all well. In my opinion, this is an essential value when working with other artists.
Pasha: It was interesting for me to see how it would look when everyone has their own point of view and interest in different fields, photography, fashion, painting.
gggaaallleeerrryyy: Do you think there are differences between the mediums (Art-Fashion and Photography)?
Guy: I think the differences between the mediums are quite clear. Art is life, fashion envelops people who are alive, and photography captures a moment in life. Despite all of this, on social media, everything gets an equal status in the image, whether it is memorable or not.
gggaaallleeerrryyy: How do you deal with the given situation? In terms of creating and learning, what are your experiences?
Guy: My work was not harmed due to the current situation, on the contrary, I just had more time to watch movies, read books and even draw.
Tal: It's different, I found myself working much more at home, in my intimate space rather than at Shenkar.
Pasha: I feel like this time united everyone, we all have something in common, like in war and post-war times.
gggaaallleeerrryyy: Where do you get your inspiration from?
Guy: With the rise of social media, I realized how many people are turned on by photography. How everyone is taking pictures all the time. Anything can inspire me.
Tal: I got the inspiration for the suits from the work of Man Ray, titled Man Ray Monument to D.A.F de Sade, from 1933 which I saw last July in an exhibition called Human Equations, presented at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. I was amazed by this piece, smaller than an A4 paper, the inverted cross, on the butt of a Man Ray’s modalist. I was captured by the sharp lines on the soft body. The harmony and disharmony between the lines in the work did not leave my mind.
Pasha: I can highlight the French post-war era, Tachisme with artist such as Jean Fautrier, Pierre Soulages, Nicolas de Staël, Dubuffet, and many more, Forrest Bess and of course from the Russian avant-garde and the second Russian avant-garde, Mikhail Grobman etc.
gggaaallleeerrryyy: What is the role of social media in your world and medium? And Pasha, what do you think is the place of paintings in contemporary art today?
Guy: Social media is a platform to showcase my work and art, I use it mostly to show my photographs.
Tal: I think social media has a huge impact on the fashion world and the way it sees femininity and masculinity. Through social media we see different people of different types in different shapes and colours, it's amazing! The world of social media is a world without geographical boundaries, without gender and sexual boundaries. This place gives people an amazing expression. I guess it affects not only the fashion world but other worlds as well.
Pasha: The place of paintings at the moment is the same as always, nobody fucking needs it, but it's still interesting.
