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Maya Smira is an award winning artist, photographer, director & lecturer, specializing in digital art, video, photography & installation. Working multidisciplinary with time based media, sound, performance, dance & movement. Her creative process is deeply involved in larger global and social issues and events, and is effected by her constant travels around the world.

Maya obtained her BA in Arts and Humanities from the Open University of Israel, BFA in photography from Minshar in Tel-Aviv (2012), MFA from the new genres department at the San Francisco Art Institute (2014), and teaching certificate at the Kibbutzim College of education and arts in Tel-Aviv (2020). 

Her work has been shown in museums, galleries & festivals around the world

Education

2020-2021   Teaching certification, Kibbutzim College of Education, Israel

2012-2014   MFA, New Genres, San Francisco Art Institute, CA 

2008-2012   BFA, Photography, Minshar for Art (with honors), Tel-Aviv, Israel 

2008-2012   BA, Art & Humanities, The Open University (with honors), Israel  

2007             Advanced Photography Training, Geographic center, Tel- Aviv, Israel 

2003             Beginner Photography Training , The Rothchild center, Tel-Aviv, Israel 

 

Teaching Experience 

2021-2022   Photography Professor, Minshar for Art, Tel-Aviv, Israel

2021-2022   Art Teacher, Hashmonaim Elementry School, Ramat Gan, Israel

2015-2021   Independent Yoga & Movement Teacher, Classes & Workshops Worldwide

2013-2014   Teaching Assistant, Photo & New Genres dept, San Francisco Art Institute, CA

2012-2014   Gallery Assistant (Guidance, Installation), Walter and McBean Gallery, SF, CA

 

Awards & Grants

2018       Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards,  NYC

2016       Exhibition Grant by the Cultural Department of Tel-Aviv Municipality and 

                Yehoshua Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts 

2016       Outset Award for Video Greenhouse Artist, Fresh Paint Art Fair, Tel-Aviv, Israel  

2014       Finalist Award, LG Art of the Pixel Contest, New York City, NY 

2014       Ella King Torrey Award, Commencement Ceremony, San Francisco Art Institute, CA

2014       Paul Sacks Building Award, Honorable mention, Academic Honors and Awards                          

                Ceremony, The Photography Program, San Francisco Art Institute, CA

2013       Christopher Coppola “Pah” Festival, Cellphone Art First Prize

2013       Christopher Coppola “Pah” Festival, Mobiflicks Competition First Prize 

 

Residencies

2024      Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Artists’ Greenhouse for Excellence in Musrara

2022       Jaffa Well Art Center, Supported by Tel-Aviv Municipality, Israel 

2022       Nahariya Water Tower, supported by Nahariya Municipality, Israel

2022       The Lab Art Space, Artist Residency Program, Tel-Aviv, Israel 

2021       Arad Contemporary Art Center, supported by Arad Municipality, Israel

2021       Kol Ha’Ot Jerusalem Artist residency program, Israel 

2020       Nakanojo Biennale Remote Artist Residency Program, Japan 

2019       Swatch Art Peace Hotel Artist Residency Program, Shanghai, China

2018       Artist in Residence Program, The Freezer Cultural Center, Riff, Iceland 

2016       AICAD Studio Residency Program, NYC 

2014       ESXLA Artist in Residence Program, LA, CA


 

Solo Exhibitions

2023          Heart of the Glacier, Arad Contemporary Art Center, Curator Leah Abir, Arad, Israel

2023          Invisible City, Jaffa Well Culture Center, Curated by Tal Margalit, Jaffa, Israel

                   Supported by Tel Aviv - Jaffa municipality 

2022          Luminaries, The Lab art space, curated by Sharon Toval, Tel-Aviv, Israel

2020          Dancing Stillness, Wilfrid Israel Museum of Asian Art, Kibbutz Hazoreaa,  Israel 

2019          Balada, Contemporary Art Center Ramla, Curated by Smadar Sheffi, Ramla, Israel

2019          Tension, Brownie Project Art Gallery, Curated by Peipei Han, Shanghai, China  

2018          Playground, Gordon-London House, Curated by Efi Gen, Municipal Art Gallery

                  Rishon Lezion, Israel

2017         Present Perfect, Artists House Tel-Aviv, Curated by Sharon Toval, Supported by 

                 Outset Contemporary Art Fund, Israel

2016         Intervention, Minshar Gallery, Curated by Oded Yedaaya, Supported by Tel-Aviv 

                  City Cultural department & Rabinovich Foundation, Tel-Aviv, Israel

2013         Code Name: Thailand, Paul Sacks Still Lights Gallery, San Francisco, CA

 

Selected Group Exhibitions  

2024           Coming soon- Mandel Artists’ Greenhouse for Excellence in Musrara

2024           Ein Hod Contemporary Art Gallery, curator Zeela Kotler Hadari

2024           Fever Dream, Supermarket Art Fair Stockholm, Curator Annie Reiniger Holleb

2024           In-Flux, Museum of Northern California Art, curator Jeremy P.H. Morgan

2024           Anima Mundi, Teo Cultural Center, Herzeliya, Curator Gabi Yair, Israel

2023           Plastic Print, Teo Cultural Center Herzeliya, Curators Beenee See, Vera Pilpoul, Israel 

2022           Apparent: The Political Body, The GH Art Gallery, Curated by Daniella Saraya, Israel

2022          Catastrophe Screening Nights,  P8 Gallery, Curated by Lee Barbu, Tel-Aviv, Israel 

2022          Coexistence, Photo Israel Center exhibition, Curated by Yaara Raz, Tel-Aviv, Israel 

2021          Photo Israel, Dubai Expo, Curated by Eyal Landsman, United Emirates 

2021          Three Turns, Untitled Art Fair, Curated by Tony Labat, Miami, FL

2021          3 Exhibitions at the Biennale of Jerusalem, Directed by Rami Ozeri, Jerusalem, Israel

2021          Capsule, Supreme Court Gallery of Israel, Curated by Dr. Orna Yair, Jerusalem, Israel

2021          Nakanojo Biennale, International art festival, Japan 

2021          Circle at CICA Museum, Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, Korea

2021           Heat & Dust, Between India & Zion, India International Center, New-Delhi, Curated by

                   Dr.Shimon Lev & Yael Margalit 

2021          Jerusalem Nights, Jerusalem Biennale Gallery, Curated by Ram Ozeri, Vera Pilpoul

2020          From the Tower, video projection at San Francisco Art Institute Tower, CA 

2020          Post Industrialism, Millepiani exhibition space, Rome, Italy 

2020          Le Luci della Speranze, Acribia Cultural Association, Torino, Italy  

2020          Dark Water, Municipal Gallery Ramat Hasharon, Curated by Ravit Harari, Israel

2019          Bitter Sweet, Muza Plus Art Project, Muzeum Sztuki of Lodz, Poland

2019          Prom, Beit Tami, Curated by Carmit Blumensohn for Fresh Paint Art Fair, Tel-Aviv

2019          Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition, York Art Gallery, UK

2019          Now With Noise, Weizmann Institute of Science, Curated by Yivsam Azgad, Israel

2019         Concealed between Interior & Exterior, Rehovot Art Gallery, Curated by Ora Kraus 

2019         Checks and Balances video screening, Parallel Toronto, Canada 

2018-19    I to Eye, curated by Shirl Meller-Yamaguchi, Israel Museum, Jerusalem Israel

2018         International Photography Festival, Tel-Aviv, Israel 

2018         Life, Fund Raise Exhibition, Bialik Rogozin Museum, Tel-Aviv, Israel 

2018         Spirit of Israel Fund Raise Exhibition, Erez Israel Museum, Tel-Aviv, Israel  

2018         Miami New Media Festival, Florida

2018         Musrara Mix Festival, Jerusalem, Israel

2018         Pillar of Cloud, Hermann Struck Museum, Haifa Israel

2017         International Photography Festival, Tel-Aviv Israel

2017         Empire II, Spektrum Berlin, curated by Vanya Balogh, Germany

2017         Songzhuang International Photo Biennale , Beijing, China

2017         LACDA Curated by Anna Katz & Dhyandra Lawson, LA, CA

2017         Empire II, Castello, la Biennale di Venezia, Italy

2017         Saatchi Screen at Saatchi Gallery, London, England

2017         Prime Time, Central Gallery, Tel-Aviv, Israel

2017         HerzeLilienbloom Museum, Tel-Aviv, Israel

2017         X is for Xenophobia, Steinfeld Warehouse Community Arts Center, Tucson, AZ

2017         MADATAC International Video Festival, Madrid, Spain

2017         Capture the Moment Photo Exhibition, Galleri Norsken, Stockholm, Sweden

2016         Teddy Gallery, Curated by Carmit Blumensohn, Jerusalem, Israel

2016         Haaretz Photo Exhibition, Binyamin & Indie Gallery, Tel-Aviv, Israel 

2016         Avi International Video Festival, Cinema City, Jerusalem, Israel 

2016         San Francisco Art Institute Alumni Exhibition, curated by Katya Min, SF, CA 

2016         Petach Tikva Museum, Video Stage curated by Or Tshuva, Petach Tikva, Israel 

2016         International Festival TANZTENDENZEN 2016 Greifswald, Germany

2016         Spirit of Israel Fund Raise Exhibition, Shenkar College of Art, Tel-Aviv, Israel  

2016         Haifa Museum of Art,Curated by Svetlana Reingold, Haifa, Israel 

2016         Fresh Paint Contemporary Art Fair, Tel-Aviv, Israel 

2015         See Me, Florentin 45 Contemporary Art Space, Tel-Aviv, Israel             

2015         See Me Exhibitions, Landscape Collection, Musee du Louvre, Paris, France

2015         Bearing Witness: Surveillance in the Drone Age, San Francisco International Art Festival, Fort Mason, SF, CA

2015         Everybody's Ocean, Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, CA

2015         Living with Endangered Languages, Root Division, SF, CA 

2015        The Smell Of Dust, Photography & live performance, Sau Paulo, Brazil

2014        Fresh, South Bay Contemporary, Rolling Hills Estate, CA

2014        APAture, Kearny Street Workshop, Arc Gallery, SF, CA 

2014        LACDA Art Fair, Center of Digital Art, Los Angeles, CA

2014        Stoff, Stockholm Fringe Festival,  Stockholm, Sweden

2014        Night Light , SomArts , SF, CA  

2014        Art Basel Contemporary Art Fair, Galeria Zero, Basel, Switzerland 

2014        Experimental Film Festival Portland, Disjecta Art Center, Portland, OR

2014        Principal, SFAI MFA Exhibition, The Old Mint, SF, CA

2014        Generation, SFAI & CCA Collaboration, Some Thing Spacious, Oakland, CA  

2014        Emerging Artists Exhibition, University Art Gallery, CSU East Bay, CA

2014        Imagining Cityscapes, Swell Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2014        Group Study, Refusalon Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2013        Cubic Sound2, The Lab, San Francisco, CA

2013        Borderline, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA 

2013        Sirens, Paul Sacks Still Lights Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2013       Untenable Dynamism, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2013       Code Name: Thailand, Paul Sacks Still Lights Gallery, San Francisco, CA     

2012       Balls Out, Queens Nails Gallery, San Francisco, CA  

2012       Then and Now, Paul Sacks Still Light Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2012       Minshar Graduation Exhibition, Minshar for Art, Tel-Aviv, Israel  

2012       Israeli Film Festival Exposition, Cinema des Cineastes, Paris, France

2011       Photography Students & Neighboring Communities, Hangar 2, Jaffa Harbor, Israel 

2009       TLV 100, The Jewish Museum, Vienna, Austria

 

Selected Publications

Time Out Tel-Aviv, Recommended Exhibitions, Reut Barnea, Israel, May 2022

Challenge & Obedience, Dvarim, Oranim College Academic Magazine, Israel, December 2021 

Heat & Dust Between Israel & India, Shimon Lev, IIC Quarterly, New Delhi, Autom 2021

Dark Water, Exhibition Catalogue, Ravit Harari, Municipal Gallery Ramat Hasharon, Israel 2020

Dancing Stillness, Art Today Magazine, Israel, September 2020

Interview at Ma Kore Section, Portfolio Magazine, Israel, August 2020

Beyond Mirror, Ziva Kort’s Art Blog, Israel,  August 2020

From India, Talking Art, Israel,  July 2020, 

Beloved, The window, Smadar Sheffi , Israel, December 2019

The Memory of Relationships, Mid Day newspaper in Mumbai, Ela Das, India, July 2021

Art On Campus, Yivsam Azgad, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, 2019

Rehovot News, Art Science & Inbetween, Erez Shrointer, Israel, July 2019

Concealed Between Interior 7 Exterior, Exhibition Catalogue, Rehovot Municipal Gallery, Feb 2019

Leaning on Iran, Interview by Reut Barnea, Calcalist Newspaper, Israel , July 2018

I to Eye, Exhibition Catalogue, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel, June 2018

Spring-Summer, Exhibition Catalogue, Municipal Gallery Rishon Le Zion, Israel, May 2018

Ride or Die, Dodho Photography Magazine, Barcelona, Spain, February 2017

Songzhuang Photo Book, Songzhuang International Photo Biennale ,Beijing, China ,2017 Magazine, Israel, August 2016

Hai Po, Haifa News, Hadas Ben Arzi, Israel,  July 2016 

Present perfect, Exhibition Catalogue, Tel-Aviv, Israel,  June 2016

The Exposure Award, The Landscape Collection, See Me and Scope Art Show, Paris, France, 2015

Israeli Lens, Fine Art Photography Magazine, Tel-Aviv, Israel, December 2014

Art In America Magazine, NY, August 2014 Issue

MFA Exhibition Catalog, San Francisco Art Institute, CA, 2014

Zine Colloquy, Jessica Montgomery, SF, CA , 2014

MFA Now Archive Project, Root Division, SF, CA, 2014

MFA Now Archive Project, Root Division, SF, CA, 2013

Erev Rav: Art. Culture. Society, Shani Varner, Tel-Aviv, Israel, July 2012 

Minshar For Art Graduate Catalog, Tel-Aviv, Israel,  July 2012

Calcalist Magazine Promising Artists, Tel-Aviv, Israel, March 2013 

 

Selected Collections

Swatch Art Peace Hotel, Shanghai

The Biennale of Jerusalem

Fatal Hotel Chain

Womens Health Hospital Collection

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