Nachsholi Barak New Works

Nachsholi Barak

Nachsholi Barak's output is versatile. From the series, "Symbols", he has shifted to the series, "It is the Same Blood". Later on he dealt with "Looking in the Mirror" and "Aerial Views"- both essentially political art which challenge a given social, political and existential situation.

Mixed media and newspapers and the emergence of images and letters from beneath the energetic layers of color – all these create the effect of a well-organized drama. His art is characterized by censorial, structural thought on one hand, and a flow of emotions on the other. The mode of expression is constantly renewed, stimulating a deepened interest.

Dr. Dorit Kedar – Curator.

New Works

Most of Nachsholi's works were born out of the joy of creating, with an emphasis on their artistic aspects. Some have political angle expressing the distress of Israel's inhabitants.

In the series, "It is the Same Blood" he first used enlarged newspaper pages to protest against the terror and against the occupation and deprivation of the Palestinian people, and to present his wish for peace. Since then he has used extensively the technique of painting on newspapers glued on canvas or wrapping paper. He uses newspapers as symbol of topical events. On one hand it is perishable and on the other it forms a constructive base on which he creates the forms and applies the various layers of mainly industrial paint.

After the series, "Aerial Views", he dealt extensively with the theme of the desert which has always fascinated him. The series, "Desert Visions" shifts its glance at the life of the Bedouins to the realm of metaphysical imagination. The paintings express strong energetic lines and are almost monochromatic in color.

From here, Nachsholi moved quite unintentionally to the subject of "Genesis". The straight line featured in this series as the horizon, reappearing along with the sun's disk. The constructive aspect is very dominant and the colors are restrained. The dominant color is blue in this series.

After "Genesis", Nachsholi has returned to the desert, but this time with figures that appear as blurred, fading silhouettes lacking identity, but radiating a mysterious atmosphere. From here it was short distance to "Urban Desert", a series evocative of New York's vistas, but with or without the fading figures. In retrospect, "Urban Desert" is also a form of memorial to the Twin Towers.
Recently Nachsholi deals with the series "Near – Far". Blurred figures constitute this series which goes back to the desert and features distant figures approaching on the horizon. The series was inspired by Mauricio Kagel's music "Near – Far". The paintings are almost monochrome.

After the series, "Near – Far I ", in which the straight line of the horizon always features, Nachsholi turned to "Near -Far II". This series is characterized by the absence of the horizon line. The fading figures seem to grow from the earth; mostly dark silhouettes, but sometimes bright.

Recently "Near – Far III" has appeared - a creation that shows very bright fading figures on a very dark background.

At the same time he has started on a different subject, "Idioms and Images". These

paintings have various, mainly semantic, subjects. Each is treated individually without diminishing Nachsholi's creative individuality.

Nachsholi's work has recently achieved a new peak of activity, partly due to the demands of frequent exhibitions in Israel and abroad.

Nachsholi Barak

Nachsholi Barak is a graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Arts. He works in painting and sculpture and employs various techniques. A member of the Israeli Painters and Sculptors Association. 1996-2002 he was Chairman of the Visual Arts Association, Rehovot.

Has won two first awards for design from the Bank of Israel.