Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dede Bandaid. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dede, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The biggest artistic challenge I ever faced up to now has been the empty and neglected Dolphinarium in Tel Aviv-Yaffo. The project required enormous research and work to plan the timing, methods and logistics. A whole year passed between the time I first imagined what was going to be painted there and the final execution. The place is at the heart of a seemingly eternal conflict between city residents, the city, and the legal owner who purchased it. Each party has different interest regarding the complex.
The history of this place is complex as well: it was built as an entertainment center showcasing dolphins in captivity for amusement, it was the site of a massive terror attack and it ended up a white elephant, a stranded monstrosity the beach landscape, a refuge for the homeless and drug addicts, who repeatedly break in and get evicted. All these traits, as well as its location and overpowering architectural structure kept haunting me.
I waited for about a year for the right timing considering both the weather and the venues nearby. I studied and examined the entire perimeter, the stucture and its content, all possible entries and all of the peculiar passage ways that were built inside it. I got acquainted with the different populations that frequented the place during different periods of day and night: party animals who came to the adjacent disco club, people who use the parking lot and groups of alcoholics and junkies who spend their nights there. I also examined all the possibilities for painting there, as I was forced to work from outside, from the ground, with minimal logistic aid, and in the dark.
The actual work was done using brushes mounted on extension poles. I painted the building from the boardwalk floor outside and it was always rainy and windy. Even the slightest increase in the speed of wind is an extreme burden when trying to precisely paint using a brush at the end of a 36 feet long extension pole.
It took me five nights to paint all around the façade. One night a police patrol passed next to me. The cops showed a deep interest in my actions but since the image can only be made out from the distance, they thought I was just cleaning the wall for some reason. One of them shared his memories from the times when he used to take his little girl there, when it was an amusement park. Another night some cops from the special patrol unit passed by, but they ignored me. Except for that, I mainly encountered drunks and joggers who completely ignored me.
Further to all that I have learned about the place in terms of concept and form, I decided to turn the building into a giant Wind-Up Chattering Teeth toy. I called this work: Taking a Bite out of Real-estate.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My Bandaids paintings are probably the most known among my works and the ones that mark the beginning of my artistic path – what does the Band-Aid mean. This image has been with me since the start, at a time when I was a bit lost and searched for meaning and solutions. I was carrying a heavy mental burden from military service and found it hard to make up my mind about which road to take. I was in pain because of a painful scorching separation on one hand, and inability to rely on those closest to me on the other hand. All of these gave birth to the Band-Aid. The Band-Aid was therapeutic. It was therapy that my body has independently invented and it helped me through some of the hardest phases of my life. Each Band-Aid made me feel better. I used to spend long nights drawing Band-Aids all over the city and with each drawing and each Band-Aid I felt a sense of relief, as if I was telling everybody about my problems and they all listened, understood, and supported me.
After about three years, during which I painted thousands of Band-Aids, I realized that people were talking about them. I heard conversations about them on the street, in coffee houses, on the bus, and over the internet. People would refer to me as The Band-Aid Man, He Who Draws Band-Ads, so, I took on Band-Aid as my new last name. I have been receiving many touching and moving stories and sentiments about them through e-mail and social media. I found out that people really pay attention to Band-Aid and identify with it, many without knowing what exactly was it standing for.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

During my compulsory military service I was ordered, when a safety inspection was expected, to mark the locations around camp where smoking was forbidden using a “Smoking is Forbidden” stencil. I walked around an entire day with the heavy plastic stencil and a bucket of red color. After three or four “Smoking is forbidden” markings, I decided to omit “Smoking is” and mark only the word “Forbidden” all over the base.
A few days later, when the safety inspection took place, I felt great satisfaction watching the fury on the face of the safety officer.
Following this, I started making my own stencils and templates when I was on the weekend leave from the army, with anti-military and anti-establishment messages such as images of soldiers and policemen in ridiculous circumstances and states.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society can interact with artists, share stories and communicate their thoughts and feelings as what artists do is exactly that but inn their own unique way and the conversation pushes them forward. For example, during one of the exhibitions I participated in, a woman approached me and thanked me for my bandaids. She told me that her little boy was being treated for cancer and at the end of each session the doctor would give him a bandaid. He then associated bandaids with the treatment sessions and would justify his reluctance to go to treatments by saying he did not want a bandaidd. One day the mom noticed the painted bandaids around the city and showed them to her son saying to him: “you see? Even large and strong buildings use bandaids sometimes.”. The boy, who wanted to be as big and strong as the buildings, changed his mind and started to like bandaids which helped him overcome his fears and he was no longer reluctant to go to treatments. He is now recovered and I hope he continues to grow bigger and stronger.      

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dedebandaid.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dedebandaid/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/im.dede/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dede-bandaid-9a5a241ab/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DedeBandaid
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GNbDDMHVrVyn_dtgjVOeQ
• Other: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dede_(artist)

Image Credits
Dede Bandaid