Series Ancestors
“Ancestors” presents a series of works about personal destiny, the connection between generations, and the fragility of human life. In the paintings there are recognizable forms of a man, a pregnant woman and a silhouette of a child, serving as a connection between the two. At the same time, these forms resemble hulks of burned buildings or strange, two-headed animals. The mirror imaging symbolizes the repetition of human history in time, the connection between generations. Each generation experiences its own tragedies, wars, natural disasters, forced emigration, and loss of loved ones. The cycle repeats itself.
The works look archaic – the image is flat, without depth or perspective, the forms are simplified to symbols, the palette is limited. The all-consuming yellow for me is a symbol or spiritual light and wisdom, warmth, hope and joy. Instead of depicting specific great-grandparents, I wanted to depict the idea of the generations that preceded us, who lived complex lives with its joys and sorrows.
In the lower part of the work, half-erased forms symbolizing a man, woman, infant and plant peek through between the root legs. The further into the depths of centuries your ancestors are, the more sketchy is the idea of them, but we continue to carry their particles in us without realizing. We carry their fate, tragedies and losses as well as the connection to the future.
Despite the pain and suffering, the thread of human existence stretches through millennia, and the lineage continues despite all cataclysms. The works are made on wood with applied relief, reminiscent of old tree bark or collapsed plaster.
Solo Exhibition "Growth Amid Chaos" | Summer 2024
Family History (Ancestors) | 2024 | Relief, Acrylic on Wood | 48 x 42 inch
Divine Light (Ancestors) | 2024 | Relief, Acrylic on Wood | 48 x 42 inch
Loss & Survival (Ancestors), Diptych | 2024 | Relief, Acrylic on Wood | 48 x 42 inch
Temple (Ancestors) | 2024 | Relief, Acrylic on Wood | 48 x 42 inch
Series Growth & Transformation
“Practice any art [....] to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow.” — Kurt Vonnegut’s letter to his students, 2006
In order to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, we have to undergo personal growth. Growth is painful and suffering is transformational; the soul grows most in the moments of suffering. Through living, experiencing pain and embracing creativity I transform myself. These works depict this transformation brought on by pain and the uncomfortable experience of development.
These transformations echo the way that a plant grows. Arms stretch out like the winding branches of a vine. Conversely, when I paint plants, they take on human characteristics. They come to life, conveying emotions and human experiences. Their shapes echo hands, faces, and parts of the human body, blurring the line between the organic and the human. In this series, the line between human and plant is blurred and only the transformation remains.
Healing | 2024 | Relief, Acrylic on Wood | 48 x 24 inch
Inner Growth | 2024 | Mixed Media, Acrylic on Wood | 24 x 24 inch
Insight | 2024 | Mixed Media, Acrylic on Wood | 24 x 24 inch
Withdrawal into Oneself | 2024 | Mixed Media, Acrylic on Wood | 24 x 24 inch
Inner Revelation | 2024 | Mixed Media, Acrylic on Wood | 24 x 24 inch
Dialogue, Diptych | 2024 | Mixed Media, Acrylic on Wood | 48 x 24 inch
Solo Exhibition "In Spite of Our Fears" | The Grover House Gallery | 2025
Watchung Art Center | Exhibition "Archeology of Memory" | 10/2024