Human Portray: Inside/Out To Exhibit This Week

Art & Culture

Curator Raphael Barbibay has brought together a selection of works by Rani Pardes, Avivit Segal, Yaniv Druker, Yael Finkelstein, Ilya Rinsky, Alisa Sheinson and Yfat Eluk for an exhibition that will be opening for a preview event tomorrow night (Wednesday 22nd July, 6pm onwards), focusing on the art of portraiture.

The medium of the portrait has been used throughout history to immortalise the sitter in both an idealised version of themselves, such as the ancient pharoahs whose likeness was not really represented in the bombastic statues created in their honour, or in painfully honest representation, such as Oliver Cromwell's famous warts-and-all depiction. Aristotle had this to say about portraiture, as quoted in the press release: "The aim of Art is to present not the outward appearance of things, but their inner significance; for this, not the external manner and detail, constitutes true reality." A portait needs to communicate more about the subject than their mere appearance, which makes this art a permanent fascination, as humans love to see what other humans look like. Perhaps with the hopes that we might maybe see a glimmer of our own existence reflected back at us that we can relate to… Anyway!

On with the facts:

The artists involved will be

Roni Pardes
A skilled self-taught artist, Roni Pardes creates his own artistic description through the use of the “blur” technique. This process acts as a metaphor to generate an uncertain distance between genders. Using black ink, pencils, and spit on broken pieces of plywood, Pardes creates portraits that carry a new meaning.

Avivit Segal
Through the use of digital photography, Avivit Segal introduces the notion of the human body, which result in works that sit half way between concrete and abstract images. Dismantling the photographic subject in her artistic process, she uses mediums such as illustration and collage as metaphors of human existence. Segal’s visual language is minimalistic in a wish to preserve the gestures within everyday situations.

Yaniv Druker
Photographer Yaniv Druker is a sensitive pictorial storyteller. Defined by an air of mysticism and reinforced by his knowledge of using photography as therapy, Druker’s latest series of photographs portray the human body in a surrealist and theatrical way. Although mainly showing abstract shapes, hints of erotic elements refer back to the human body. Druker uses his camera to observe these bodies and their identities and thus mirroring his own body and soul.

Ilya Rinsky
Born and raised in Moscow, Ilya Rinsky is a self-taught realistic painter. Using a realistic technique often effused with the brilliant use of color, Rinsky’s vivid portraits are defined by a fresh and unique color palette. Throughout his practice, the artist develops a dialogue with the Pop-Art genre and thus incorporating his own point of view on the ready-made.

Yfat Eluk
The inspiration for the artistic work of Yfat Eluk is a mixture of facts and fantasy. The world around her is an endless source of creation and Eluk see stories everywhere, dramatic scenes where colours and shapes merge. Her artistic practice is a reflection and a reaction to all that is happening around her and within her.

Alisa Sheinson
Duplication becomes reality of our era. One of the key elements in the artistic creation of Alisa Sheinson is the relationship between art and reality, these two edges when reality is essence, and for Sheinson art is reality.
The artist’s works reveals a “visual unconsciousness” as psycho-analysis does to the human soul. Beauty, form and advanced technology are all tools for this creation of contemporary art. The action of duplication in her work is a representation of high-end technology that leads the viewer into a constant renewing philosophical discourse.