 Rider, 2005 acrylic on canvas, 150 x 180 cm © the Artist, courtesy Sadie Coles HQ Avner Ben-Gal Avner Ben-Gal's elusive and moody paintings present landscapes and rural views with a desolate edge, rendered burnt and barren, by harshness of climate or by damage reaped by man. Warehouses and barns go up in flames, harvests are poorly planted and meager in their rewards, and shady looking farmers struggle to make an impact. A hazy veil appears across the surface of many of the paintings, pressing us to bring the image into focus and decipher its open-ended content. The implied narratives marry the content of fables with the harsh reality of propagation. They evoke the structure of dreams or hallucinations, as tangible elements knit together to form a worryingly unresolved picture of a land and its inhabitants in transition. Exhibition: 14 September - 15 October 2005 Gallery hours: Tues-Sat 10 am - 6 pm Sadie Coles Gallery 35 Heddon Street GB-London W1B 4BP Telephone +44 20 7434 2227 Fax +44 20 7434 2228 www.sadiecoles.com |
 |