6 April – 20 May 2012

Opening reception: Friday 6 April, from 6:00pm – 11:00pm

Marginal Utility is pleased to present the first solo exhibition by THE BAND OF THE FAMILY OF THE BELL.

THE BAND OF THE FAMILY OF THE BELL is a band that is composed of three members; one American and two Israeli artists.

THE BAND OF THE FAMILY OF THE BELL plays a combination of homemade and digital instruments. The songs they write tell the story of THE FAMILY OF THE BELL and of their anticipated arrival.

THE BAND OF THE FAMILY OF THE BELL has chosen this particular moment in time to call upon THE FAMILY OF THE BELL to come out of hiding to help usher in a brand new era.

The exhibition consists of an installation and three videos within the gallery. The video within the first room depicts a small family; a father and a daughter in need of the Family of the Bell. The second video is one of optimism and transition. The last room presents a musical concert by THE BAND OF THE FAMILY OF THE BELL.

The members of THE BAND OF THE FAMILY OF THE BELL are:

RONNIE BASS (b. 1976, Hurst, TX) is a New York-based visual artist and musician. He works in video, sound, sculpture and installation. He received an MFA from Columbia University in 2006. Upcoming exhibitions include the PBS Art21 Telethon, New York and at Braverman Gallery, Tel Aviv. He has exhibited at MoMA/P.S.1, The New Museum, Anthology Film Archives and James Cohen Gallery, all in New York; The Henry Art Gallery, Seattle; Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, and Transmission Gallery, Glasgow.

CARMEL MICHAELI is an Israeli visual artist working mainly with video, performance and music. Michaeli is currently based in New York. Michaeli graduated from Central Saint Martins, London, and from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem. Michaeli has exhibited and performed at The Uganda (Jerusalem), The Zimmer (Tel Aviv), Rav-Chen Cinema (Tel-Aviv), Stoke Newington Library (London) and Shift Electronics Art Festival (Basel). Michaeli will be exhibiting with The Band of the Family of the Bell at Braverman Gallery in Tel Aviv.

GILAD RATMAN graduated from Colombia University’s MFA program in 2009 and from the Bezalel BFA program in 2001, during which he was resident at the SVA, NY (2000). Solo shows include “Deep Sinking” at Haifa Museum of Art (2009) and “Che Che The Gorgeous” at Ferenbalm-Gurbrü Station – Gallery for Contemporary Art, Karlsruhe (2008). Group exhibitions include Borderline Pleasure at Michael Jensen Gallery, Berlin (2009), Bring me a black man, ArtTLV (curator: Doron Rabina) (2008), and Real Time: Israeli Art 1998-2008, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem (2008). Ratman has won the Isracard prize for Israeli Artist, Tel Aviv Museum (2007), the Ministry of Culture “Young Artist” Prize (2006) and the Givon Prize of the Tel Aviv Museum (2005). Ratman will represent Israel at the 55th Venice Biennale, 2013.

This exhibition was made possible in part by a grant from The Foundation For Contemporary Arts.