Omer is an Israeli born, international artist and musician, currently living in New Orleans, he has shown his work extensively in New York, San Francisco, LA, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Rome, Russia, Italy, Brazil, UK and Finland. He graduated with an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and he received his BFA from Minshar school for Art in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Along with Omer’s art comes his music and sound work, which he incorporates, into performance, ritual movement, drawing, animation and video. His theatrical musical project “Cookie Tongue” started in 2011, has performed in front of many audiences worldwide and released 4 studio albums.
His short stop motion animation works and videos have been featured at festivals worldwide. The stop motion animation “Fae Rite Serum” (2020) a collaborative film made with Jacquelyn Marie Shannon got accepted to three festivals worldwide and is awaiting more replies, “SAP” (2014) has been exhibited in NYC, SF, London and Portland. “Shoreline” (2d animation, 2010) and “Rabbit Rabbit” (stop motion, 2009) have been shown over the past years at festivals and galleries. The three channel video instillation, “Naked Cave”, has shown at Aggregate Space in Oakland, CA and at Surplus Space in Portland, OR in 2014. Recently Omer has made several commisioned music videos which include stop motion animation for Cookie Tongue, Charming Disaster, Sincere Gifts and more.
Omer Gal CV
| omeryaa@gmail.com |
EDUCATION
San Francisco Art Institute, SF, CA — MFA, 2012
Minshar School for Art, TLV, Israel — BA, 2009
PRESS
Deli Magazine
Bedford and Bowery
The Young Howze Theatre Journal
Asheville Stages
Verge on Solo Show "Rescuing the Lost Imaginary"
Shaded Minds Blog
“A Cookie Tongue performance feels like if the roustabouts tied up the clowns and took over the circus; and then went on an afternoon-long drinking binge and raided the wardrobe/makeup cabinet and put on a crazy pastiche of stuff; and then went on stage and performed a surprisingly coherent set of calliope-inspired music with bizarrely poetic lyrics sung by a male-female combo in warbling, breathy tones that you're not sure if it's funny or disturbing or just different.”
Jason Lee Oakes, Deli Magazine
“The uniquely fantastical nature of Cookie Tongue is never just on music, but creating an entire world through puppets, storytelling, dance, animation, or something else entirely.”
Cassidy Dawn Graves, Bedford & Bowery
“Being raw is essential. And feeling this art is all about restoring our primal child selves...The journey that Omer leads us into...is borderline spiritual.”
Valentina Rocha, Verge Magazine
SOLO & DUO SHOWS
SOLO SHOWS
2018 Hide and Seek/תר אחר, Duo show, Minshar Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel,
2018 Hilo Catskill Gallery, NY,
2016 "Rescuing the Lost Imaginary", The Living Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2009 “Daddy’s on Fire”, Tmuna Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel
GROUP SHOWS
2021 A Gate/A Veil/A Vessel, collaboration on a video piece with Jacquelyn Marie Shannon, Field Projects, Manhattan, NYC
2016 NY Shitty, group show, Con Artist Gallery, Manhattan, NYC
2014-15 Everybody’s Ocean, MAH Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA
2014 Sugar Rush, En Em Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2014 Surplus Space, Portland, OR
2014 Something completely different, City Limits, Oakland, CA
2014 Full Frame 1st Annual call for works in video, Aggregate Space, Oakland, CA
2013 Modern Panic IV, Guerilla Zoo, London, UK
2013 SOund and VideO show, The Lab, SF, CA
2012 New Genres show, Performance Art Institute, SF, CA
2012 San Francisco Art Institute MFA Thesis Show, Phoenix Hotel, SF, CA
2012 Colored Shadows w/Miles Ake, Luggage Store, SF, CA
2012 13 for 13, PSU, Portland, OR
2011 Naked Cave(performance/instillation), FlagStop, LA, CA
2011 Cookie is Inside, Swell Gallery, SF, CA
2011 Bad Drawing, Diego Rivera Gallery, SF, CA
2016 NY Shitty, group show, Con Artist Gallery, Manhattan, NYC
2014-15 Everybody’s Ocean, MAH Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA
2014 Sugar Rush, En Em Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2014 Surplus Space, Portland, OR
2014 Something completely different, City Limits, Oakland, CA
2014 Full Frame 1st Annual call for works in video, Aggregate Space, Oakland, CA
2013 Modern Panic IV, Guerilla Zoo, London, UK
2013 SOund and VideO show, The Lab, SF, CA
2012 New Genres show, Performance Art Institute, SF, CA
2012 San Francisco Art Institute MFA Thesis Show, Phoenix Hotel, SF, CA
2012 Colored Shadows w/Miles Ake, Luggage Store, SF, CA
2012 13 for 13, PSU, Portland, OR
2011 Naked Cave(performance/instillation), FlagStop, LA, CA
2011 Cookie is Inside, Swell Gallery, SF, CA
2011 Bad Drawing, Diego Rivera Gallery, SF, CA
ARTIST RESIDENCY
2019 Lookout Arts Quarry Artist in Residence
PERFORMANCES
2022 Consuming spirit displacement at The Aquarium, New Orleans LA
2021 Cookie Tongue ‘Kaleidoscopic Bone House’ - Asheville Fringe, Cincy Fringe, BorderLight Fringe, Pittsburgh Fringe.
2020 Cookie Tongue ‘Dream Seed Ceremony’ - Asheville Fringe
2019 Cookie Tongue, Milton Art Bank Gallery, Milton, PA
2016 Shitheads Diaspora, NY Shitty, Manhattan, NYC
2016 Half Ghost Human Collective, artifice 3, at Torus Porta, Bushwick, BK, NYC
2015 Half Ghost Human Collective, artifice 2, at Tarot Society, Bushwick, BK, NYC
2015 Half Ghost Human Collective, artifice 1, at Circus of Dreams, Bushwick, BK, NYC
2014 Shitheads Diaspora, ongoing performance, performed at various venues in San Francisco, CA
2014 Removing a polyp from an outer galactic intestinal tunnel @ 100 performances for a hole, Somarts, San Francisco, CA
2013 The Lab Benefit, The Lab, SF, CA
2013 Psi 19, 100 Performances for the Hole Redux, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
2012 Touch the Gear Expo@Outsound new music summit, Community music center,
San Francisco, CA, USA
2012 Pinyataphone, The Lab, SF, CA
2011 Be back in 1 minute, 100 Performances for the Hole, SomArts, SF, CA
2011 Be back in 5 minutes, Queens Nails Projects Gallery, SF, CA
2020 Cookie Tongue ‘Dream Seed Ceremony’ - Asheville Fringe
2019 Cookie Tongue, Milton Art Bank Gallery, Milton, PA
2016 Shitheads Diaspora, NY Shitty, Manhattan, NYC
2016 Half Ghost Human Collective, artifice 3, at Torus Porta, Bushwick, BK, NYC
2015 Half Ghost Human Collective, artifice 2, at Tarot Society, Bushwick, BK, NYC
2015 Half Ghost Human Collective, artifice 1, at Circus of Dreams, Bushwick, BK, NYC
2014 Shitheads Diaspora, ongoing performance, performed at various venues in San Francisco, CA
2014 Removing a polyp from an outer galactic intestinal tunnel @ 100 performances for a hole, Somarts, San Francisco, CA
2013 The Lab Benefit, The Lab, SF, CA
2013 Psi 19, 100 Performances for the Hole Redux, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
2012 Touch the Gear Expo@Outsound new music summit, Community music center,
San Francisco, CA, USA
2012 Pinyataphone, The Lab, SF, CA
2011 Be back in 1 minute, 100 Performances for the Hole, SomArts, SF, CA
2011 Be back in 5 minutes, Queens Nails Projects Gallery, SF, CA
ANIMATION
2021 “Radium Girls”, Commissioned Animation Music Video for the band Charming Disaster (2 awards)
2020 “Liberation Through Hearing” commissioned cut-scenes for an interactive art opera video game, Israel
2020 "Fae Rite Serum", Produced during artist in residence program at The Lookout Arts Quarry, WA, USA
Official selection at film festivals:
NEW CHITOSE Animation Festival, Japan 2020
Femmes Underground International Film Festival (LEFUFF) Los Angeles, CA, 2021
Angaelica Festival, Pasadena, CA 2021
(currently being sent and awaiting selection at other festivals worldwide)
2013 "Sap" screened at:
Guerrilla Zoo, London 2013
ATA theater, Other Cinema, SF, CA, USA 2013
Southern Exposure Gallery, SF, CA, USA 2013
The Lab,, SF, CA, USA 2013
EFF festival, Portland, Oregon 2014
2010 “Shoreline” screened at:
Santa Cruz Museum of Art Jan.2014-April 2015
Images festival, Toronto, Canada 2010
Cortoons festival, Rome, Italy 2010
CCA Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel 2010
Asifa festival, Tel Aviv, Israel 2010
Haifa festival, Haifa, Israel 2010
2009 “Rabbit Rabbit” screened at:
Nozstock festival, UK 2012
Barbur gallery, Jerusalem, Israel 2009
2020 "Fae Rite Serum", Produced during artist in residence program at The Lookout Arts Quarry, WA, USA
Official selection at film festivals:
NEW CHITOSE Animation Festival, Japan 2020
Femmes Underground International Film Festival (LEFUFF) Los Angeles, CA, 2021
Angaelica Festival, Pasadena, CA 2021
(currently being sent and awaiting selection at other festivals worldwide)
2013 "Sap" screened at:
Guerrilla Zoo, London 2013
ATA theater, Other Cinema, SF, CA, USA 2013
Southern Exposure Gallery, SF, CA, USA 2013
The Lab,, SF, CA, USA 2013
EFF festival, Portland, Oregon 2014
2010 “Shoreline” screened at:
Santa Cruz Museum of Art Jan.2014-April 2015
Images festival, Toronto, Canada 2010
Cortoons festival, Rome, Italy 2010
CCA Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel 2010
Asifa festival, Tel Aviv, Israel 2010
Haifa festival, Haifa, Israel 2010
2009 “Rabbit Rabbit” screened at:
Nozstock festival, UK 2012
Barbur gallery, Jerusalem, Israel 2009
MUSIC VIDEO AND DOCUMENTARY
2021 “Radium Girls”, Commisioned Music Video for Charming Disaster
2021 “Fortunate Man”, Commissioned Animation Music Video for Sincere Gifts
2020 “Santo vs Monsanto”, Commissioned Animation Music Video for Sincere Gifts
2019 “Clowns & Grief & Dead Brothers”, Documentary collaboration
2015-2020 Cookie Tongue Music Videos: Graveyard Song, Dream Seed Ceremony, Grin, Snow Dress, Flame Feet, Remote Control, Red, Rubber Hard Thumb
2017 “Just Like Me”, Irrevery
2021 “Fortunate Man”, Commissioned Animation Music Video for Sincere Gifts
2020 “Santo vs Monsanto”, Commissioned Animation Music Video for Sincere Gifts
2019 “Clowns & Grief & Dead Brothers”, Documentary collaboration
2015-2020 Cookie Tongue Music Videos: Graveyard Song, Dream Seed Ceremony, Grin, Snow Dress, Flame Feet, Remote Control, Red, Rubber Hard Thumb
2017 “Just Like Me”, Irrevery
OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2015-2020 Teaching Artist, Congregation Beth Elohim, After School Kids Program
274 Garfield Pl., Brooklyn, NY
2010-current Freelance Animator and Designer
274 Garfield Pl., Brooklyn, NY
2010-current Freelance Animator and Designer
AWARDS
2022 Charming Disaster - ‘Radium Girls’ (Omer Gal directed, animated, edited and shot)
IMVA Best Animation Music Video
New York Movie Awards Best Animation Music Video
2021 Cookie Tongue ‘Kaleidoscopic Bone House’
Asheville Fringe: Artist that challenged and/or pushed the boundaries between art forms the most
Pittsburgh Fringe: Best digital effects
IMVA Best Animation Music Video
New York Movie Awards Best Animation Music Video
2021 Cookie Tongue ‘Kaleidoscopic Bone House’
Asheville Fringe: Artist that challenged and/or pushed the boundaries between art forms the most
Pittsburgh Fringe: Best digital effects
Artist Statement:
Through a twisted unstable substance matter I inquire into a fantastic sphere each time realizing it again…
When I look at a piece of art I wish to see a blast of silent noise bursting out, like a sound coming out of a cloud; and over there, there is space for a great variety of objects and things that can be continuously penetrated merely by being immersed in this amorphous atmosphere. The belief in the possibility of fulfilling this vision is both a horizontal goal and an initial motive for my creation process. The act of displaying and displacing this cloudy space is located at the center of my work.
Rough edges, presented in a childish, somewhat sloppy manner and phantasmatic characters are my key-buttons for controlling the level of pressure invested in penetrating meanings and daily structures: first, I use the general form of the object, then split and divide it again and again allowing a somewhat-new thing to rise. Will the artifice take a life of its own?, or, put differently, will it remain bound?, attached to its primitive "origin". Leaving this question open-ended initiates an endless journey which my work strives to explore.
In my art I use many kinds of mediums, from three dimensions: I combine silicone and plastic, latex, clay, paper meche and a large variety of ready-mades, In addition I include two dimensional drawings using multi-color pens, as well as non-plastic animation films sometimes integrated into painting and performance, where all these elements come to life by mixing living stories, sounds and characters.