David and Goliath is an archive of filmed conversations initiated and shot by artist David Wakstein in his meetings with Israeli artists since the early 1990s.

The archive originated in Wakstein's artistic-curatorial-pedagogical perception, which began in a collaboration with the International Artists' Museum in Poland (1993-95), and continued in various educational institutions in which he taught: at Oranim Academic College (since 1994) and the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem (1999-2008). In 2004 this activity was expanded to other social and communal programs, which were centered on the establishment of Reshet—Contemporary Art Stations. This may also attest to another unique feature of these conversations: the incorporation of art students in the research and preparation phases, as well as Jewish and Arab pupils from the Art Stations in Ofakim, Ramla, Lod, Rahat, Nazareth, and Shikun HaMizrach in Rishon LeZion.

The scope of the archive is unprecedented in local terms. It spans over 500 filmed artists who represent a broad panorama of Israeli art in the past thirty years. Comprising several generations in Israeli art, it includes, among others, conversations with artists who have since passed away, among them Raffi Lavie, Gideon Gechtman, Lea Nikel, Uri Lifshitz, Boaz Tal, Pinchas Zinovich, Pamela Levy, and Alima Rita. For some of them, it was the last interview.

This site serves as an exhibition space for the materials in the David and Goliath: Art Talks archive. The Home Page features viewable in-depth artist portfolios which include unedited footage as well as synopses in random editing formats (long, medium, short) from conversations held with key Israeli artists.

In addition, the website features an archive of exhibitions: a regularly updated list of exhibitions organized and curated by Wakstein over the years (mostly at the Gallery of Israeli Art, Oranim Academic College and the Contemporary Art Station in Ramla). This page also includes conversations held in solo exhibitions, in small group exhibitions (a few participants), and in large-scale group exhibitions (many participants).

The initial list of conversations in the site, which was aired in the summer of 2015 (Beta version), will be updated by the site operators regularly. The site is a showcase for the multiple archival materials continually shot by Wakstein since the 1990s.

Scholars, donors, and interested parties are invited to contact us at:
David Wakstein Archive
17 Haoren St., Rishon LeZion
(By prior appointment only)
+972-3-9473670
david.wakstein@gmail.com

Graphic design: Avi Bohbot
Development: Felix Wasserstein
Hebrew editing and English translation: Daria Kassovsky
Arabic translation: Raji Bathish (Ta Marboota)

Special thanks to: Prof. Larry Abramson, Farid Abu Shakra, Idit Amihai, Ph.D. Eyal Assulin, Yochai Avrahami, Avishay Ayal, Asad Azi, Jenifer Bar-Lev, Avner Barhama, Amnon Barzel, Galia Bar Or, Prof. Yaara Bar-On, Ahmad Canaan, Oron Cohen, Prof. Pinchas Cohen Gan, Aamer Darbas, Ruth Direktor, Prof. Yaacov Dorchin, Maged Elkamalat, Orly Fruman, Yair Garbuz, Moshe Gershuni, Tamar Getter, David Ginton, Jonathan Gold, Yehudit Guetta, Yael Guilat, Eli Hakim, Tal Hakim, Zvika Kantor, Idit Levavi Gabbai, Dalia Manor, Shahar Marcus, Dolin Melnik, Motti Mizrahi, Amitai Ring, Dorit Ringart, Sasha Serber, Yaniv Shapira, Rachel Shavit, Yaacov Si'on, Yaniv Tal, David Tartakover, Ofer Toder, Prof. Zvi Tolkovsky, Micha Ullman, Gal Weinstein, Harel Yitzhaki, Prof. Moshe Yitzhaki, Noa Zoran