In Memory of the Revolution

Works by Eyal Danieli

December 9th, 1999 – January 22nd, 2000
Opening Reception: Thursday, December 9th, 1999

The Herbert Lust Gallery and Sullivan Street Frames are proud to present "In Memory of the Revolution", works by Eyal Danieli. This exhibition comprises twenty recent works on paper using techniques ranging from charcoal and chalk drawings to paper pulp on handmade paper.

The unifying sense of the works in this exhibition dwells on a feeling of loss and lost opportunities. Danieli seems to be commemorating and mourning a time gone by, when hope and idealism, both artistic and political, still permeated the zeitgeist. While a general atmosphere of homage seems to underscore much of the work, a degree of engagement with more recent artistic and social issues, tinged with irony and humor, is evident.

Danieli uses photographic sources, straightforward life drawing and rubbings to create a diverse set of images that transcend the merely graphic or the obviously abstract. The broad selection of photographic sources have been chosen not for their beauty as photographs but rather for the associations which the photographs' subjects and images evoke in the memory of the artist. The rubbing technique was undertaken as an attempt to create a dialogue with the cubist conceit of faux surfaces, and resonates in its association with the tradition of gravestone rubbings. The more perceptual pieces are relevantly intertwined with the other works: their clear sense of self-introspection, placing the"figure" in relation to the other figurative depictions, creates a link between the historical subject matter(s) and subjective personal history and experience.

Using earth tone pastels that are sometimes applied with quick staccato gestures and at others times in delicate touches that amass tone across the page; Danieli searches for that which is elusive, that which is barely tangible through the mist of memory and perception.

By constructing the works with a rigorous sense of composition and draghtsmanship, and imbuing them with a layering and complexity, Danieli avoids the pitfall of sentimental nostalgia. These works resonate with a depth and intricacy that manifest through their rich physical pictorial surfaces.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday- Saturday, 12-6.