GAVLAK PALM BEACH is proud to present Exile, an exhibition of new paintings by Israeli-born NYC-based multidisciplinary artist Nir Hod, on view from April 1 to April 21, 2022. Akin to both daguerreotypes and the works of old masters, this body of work presents new figurations in which the symbolic and figurative are fused together into abstract, yet deeply human, forms.
Hod’s latest exhibition explores notions of melancholy, loss and remembrance, to produce works that can’t quite be categorized as paintings. Hod’s creative practice always begins within the bounds of a chosen setting from which the artist conjures emotion and visual narrative. Abandoned institutions such as hospitals and churches provide an atmosphere instinctually congruous to the pondering of destruction and rebirth, themes of which are foregrounded in his highly-interactive pieces.
Painting on oil canvases with layers of black, green, gray and chrome—and consequently peeling back said layers to expose flashes of light embedded within the darkness—each of Hod’s pieces undergo an extensive process of transformation before the desired narrative can be brought to life. Here, compounds such as ammonia, gasoline and various acids lend themselves to the evolution of the works by evoking sentiments of fragility and annihilation. The mirrored nature of the pieces works to place the viewer within the present moment, ultimately moving the audience to consider the ephemeral nature of the human experience. The resulting works are surfaces of reflection and meditation—mutating pieces which become evermore figurative the closer one gets.
Analyzing notions of duality and artificiality, Exile invites viewers to create novel narratives in sites of destruction. In the complex exercise that is the creation of these works, Hod alchemizes what is dense and dangerous into something much more delicate. To look into the layers and see oneself is to approach with care.
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