YAD

 

David Duvshani

Curator: Lior Tamim

 

 

Here are the fine exploits of these inhuman hearts, 

They ravage all over, nothing escapes their hands. 

One invents forms of torture to get some gold, 

The other, having committed 1,000 crimes, encourages his accomplices,

And all in accord, they maliciously commit, 

Theft, kidnapping, murder, and rape.

 

״Le Pillage״ [The plundering], Michel de Marolles, poem for Jacques Callot’s, plate 5 in “Les Misères et les Malheurs de la Guerre”, [The miseries and misfortunes of war], 1633. Translation from French by Katie Hornstein.

​

The exhibition “Yad” comprises three genres: inkjet print, acrylic drawings, and a mural. The works incorporate a range of materials and artistic practices: The print imitates painterly gestures and brushstrokes using digital means, while the drawings are painted with acrylic markers. Together, they seek to expand our understanding of what constitutes the handicraft of painting. The title of the exhibition, “Yad,” is a Hebrew word of dual meaning - commonly understood as “hand” but having a secondary meaning of “memorial.” The title denotes handwork as an essential element in Duvshani’s practice. 

 

The mural on display depicts current conflicts across the Middle East in a satirical manner infused with humor. Duvshani’s caricaturistic style makes the figures ridiculous, portraying them as bloodthirsty and addicted to war. The works in the exhibition are inspired by the engravings of Jacques Callot and other 17th century prints depicting the European wars of religion and the horrific deeds perpetrated by European conquistadors in the new world.  These earlier works are characterized by chaos and ruptured space, expressing a sense of disruption and upheaval of the existing order. By the use of bold colors and a chaotic space, along with the historical representations of the madness of war, Duvshani generates a feeling of a continuous apocalypse.

​

“Yad” is the first solo exhibition for artist David Duvshani (b. 1991, Israel), graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and the MFA program of Bezalel, Academy of Art and Design. He has exhibited in Israel (RawArt Gallery, Tel Aviv; Mishkan Museum of Art, Ein Harod; Nahum Gutman Museum, Tel Aviv) and abroad (White Night, Paris; FourFOLD Gallery and the Griffin Gallery, London). Co-founder of Hoshech Magazine for art, literature, and comics. He has published the comix columns “Apocalyptic Predictions” in Haaretz newspaper, and “The Travels of Reb Mendelovitch” in Tohu magazine. In 2019 his artist book, Crusades, was published in France with a launch event at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris.

​

​

​

Exhibition Credits:

​

Curator: Lior Tamim

Graphic Design: Avihai Mizrahi

Photography: Tal Nisim

English Translation: Judith Appleton

Arabic Translation: Elham A Hamedeh

Print: A.R. Printing Ltd

Production: Yaniv Lachman