Ester Schneider | Rouge
January 09 - February 22, 2020
Solo Show: Ester Schneider
Curator: Maya Bamberger
Rouge, Esther Schneider's first solo show at
A pair of outspread hands, holding a threaded needle, invites the viewer to step into the exhibition. They also suggest the physical gestures of the artist's hands, which penetrate the lumps of clay with symmetrical motions, or comb patterns on the surface of the canvas to create the curling lines that drive some of the paintings. The ink brush transforms into ocean waves and eyelashes, or creates a grid of sorts that serves as a foundation for the painting, through which the abyss can be observed.
Schneider's paintings are rich in symbolic systems of bold colors, signs, and figures. These stem from simple and intuitive gestures, which are then woven with layers of references and meaning. A yellow semicircle, which interacts with the frame was the origin of the work "Sunbird." It was followed by a figure that turned her head to the source of the light, in an Art Nouveauesque distortion. Her body echoes the silhouette of Nefertiti, the Egyptian Queen, who is joined by hints of other mythical female figures. Yellow drops trickle down, forming a stabilizing spine. The drop shape reappears in the paintings as tears, rain, or blood, in some instances becoming a circular decorative border surrounding the painting. The drop also reflects the nature of watercolors, which are trapped under their surface tension and then spread randomly throughout the canvas, occasionally revealing the whiteness of the material beneath.
Schneider delves into the deep and
Ester Schneider (b. 1978, USSR), lives and works in Tel Aviv. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Schneider is the recipient of the Israel Ministry of Culture Award in Visual Art (2019), the Ilana
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Ester Schneider, Shawl, 2019, ink and watercolor on canvas, 90x90 cm
Ester Schneider, Sunbird, 2019, ink and watercolors on canvas, 185x100 cm
Ester Schneider, Lovebirds, 2019, ink, watercolors, and acrylic pigment on canvas, 85x85.5 cm
Ester Schneider, Black 1 (detail), velvet wallpaper, fringe, feathers, artificial hai, 200x90 cm, 2020
Ester Schneider, Rouge, 2020, installation view at RawArt Gallery, Photo: Youval Hai
Ester Schneider, Rouge, 2020, installation view at RawArt Gallery, Photo: Youval Hai
Ester Schneider, Rouge, 2020, installation view at RawArt Gallery, Photo: Youval Hai