Jonathan Ofek and Abi Shek

The worldly and local symbolism inherent in the two-dimensional figures of the ram and the oryx, and their connection to the earth and to the necessities of existence, serve as a common vantage point for a new exhibition by artists Abi Shek and Jonathan Ofek. Tensions between local and universal, past and present, concrete existence and memory, sacred and profane, infuse the artists’ mutual discourse with keen topical interest.

Dr. Gideon Ofrat has written that “the present is essentially hostile to history. Not only because of the inherent contradiction between present and past, which was the habitat of history, but because the present is still living, bubbling, boiling, amorphous, multi-faceted and illusive…” Ofek and Shek are both sons of great artists who were instrumental in configuring Israeli art over the generations. Their works raise the confrontation between the familiar present and the known past to a climax of synthesis and sharply symbolic abstraction, blended with heroism and magical thinking. The drawings and sculptures are reminiscent of ancient art from primitive cultures, murals and cave drawings in Asia and Africa, archetypal symbols of sacred objects and structures.
In Leviticus 11, God tells the Israelites: “These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof and is cloven-footed and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that shall ye eat.” This iron-clad rule, which differentiates Jews from other nations, poses questions regarding the power of differentiation, the consumption of animals by humans, attitudes toward place and time, and the limits of humanity. The figure of the masculine, horned ram is similarly explored by these two artists: they both connect the animal to land in a physical way, both empower it, and both confront it with metaphysical ladders that connote the bond between earth and sky.
The artists’ work engages with basic infrastructures of existence and with the nature that emerges in the absence of excessive human interference. Moreover, they create an intimate dialogue between contradictory worlds of matter, and arrive at creation through essence. Indeed there is something clean, essential and primal in the depiction of these great beasts in understated black-and-white tones, a minimalist addition of red, the use of shading, and a dearth of identifying characteristics. Both artists, who were exposed to European art in the public sphere, engage with the here and now, and both raise questions about the unintelligible complexity of conceptual art. Their own works are there for all to comprehend, immediately readable and decipherable, and they create a lucid and accessible language that opens up the reservoirs of artistic experience to one and all. There is a modesty of sorts, a simplicity, in their works, which allows the viewer to relate to their sources and enjoy a shared glimpse into creativity.

Abi Shek (1966) studied art at the Academy in Stuttgart, where he still lives and works. Yonatan Ofek (1973) studied at the Bezalel Academy in his hometown of Jerusalem. He has been a shepherd, and is a member of the Hanina gallery. They have both won awards and grants, and their works are included in art collections.
Doron Polak / Curator, Water Institute