Nir Alon and Ben Kadishman
“Happy Moments of Balance II”
22.3.18 – 5.5.18
Nir Alon and Ben Kadishman’s exhibition, “Happy Moments of Balance II” at Chelouche Gallery, draws together aspects from their first joint exhibition in 1995 at the Israel Museum entitled, “Happy Moments of Balance”.
Alon and Kadishman’s works touch upon their most sensitive experience of new parenthood and express the impact their children’s lives and actions. The art works presented in this exhibition translate the paternal feelings of each artist onto works of art. This is exemplified through the container which is balanced on bulbs, creating juxtaposition between objects, emphasizing the ability of the artists to manipulate ready-made objects and form new ones which then alter the surroundings. The sculptures are transformed and reinvented, imbued with both the simplicity and immediacy of the camera obscura, presenting notions of balance and instability. The Idea of the innocence of a child’s gaze is channeled through the works of art which are bound together with a paternal insight and knowledge.
This exhibition is not a recreation of older materials (containers, print works, photography and bulbs). Rather it expresses an amalgamation of a 22 year joint artistic partnership and vision. The works attempt to examine the perspectives of a both parents and children through the delicate relationships created through the objects that are obscurely hinged to one another.
There is a sense of delicate balance, fragile and nearly impossible. The works displayed attempt to channel the viewers gaze to a pre-adolescent, child-like view emphasized through the playful and raw structure of the works. The moment the gaze “fails” it becomes critical.
