May 11 – July 5, 2017 | Israeli Artist Drew Tal: Silent Worlds
Israeli artist Drew Tal was born into the rich cultural melting pot of the Middle East in the 1960s. He grew up as an artist-anthropologist, soaking in the diversity of languages, cultural traditions, and textures of the Middle East at that time. Tal is known for his sensitive depictions of people from cultures other than his own, such as Muslim women and Asian children.
“Surrounded with such a colorful collage of ethnicities, languages, nationalities, cultures and religions made me realize from an early age that the world beyond me was a rich and complex place. This revelation opened my eyes to the exotic, and made me extremely curious about people and their religions, customs, costumes and histories.” – Drew Tal
Tal’s work explores ideas of beauty and identity. With his layering of texture and pattern over his photographs, he creates a medium which is somewhere between a photograph and a painting. Additional meaning is layered into his pieces by his choices of texture and pattern, giving them a strong sense of identity and continuity.
Opening Reception Friday, May 12, 2017 from 5 to 7pm
[n.b. that this event takes place in Santa Fe]
July 19 – August 9, 2016 | Drew Tal and Karen Yank: Circumspect
Agnes Martin once told Karen Yank that the “circle is too expansive” as an art form. Karen later said it was perfect shape for her, because she could control it; because she understood its implications. In the same way Drew Tal uses the gaze on the circle of the face and the eyes to make a comparison of universal features.
Opening Reception Friday, July 22, 2016 from 5 to 7pm
[n.b. that this event takes place in Santa Fe]
July 3, 2016 | Drew Tal and Karen Yank: Circumspect
Circumspection implies considering your actions carefully before moving forward. Such is the case with both American artist Karen Yank, and Israeli artist, Drew Tal. Yank was awarded a prestigious art award to study at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in New York, in 1987. Her teacher was the celebrated–if reclusive–New Mexico minimalist artist, Agnes Martin. Yank relocated with her family to New Mexico, where she still lives today. Her friendship with Agnes Martin would continue for two decades, until Martin’s death in 2004.
Agnes Martin often told Yank she was her only “real” student. She passed on her opinions about artistic process and philosophy to Yank. While Martin is well known for her grid drawings and line paintings, Yank sought a different shape. Martin’s horizontal line was reminiscent of the distant New Mexican horizon line, uninterrupted by natural form. Yank, however, saw the circle as the most perfect shape for her sculpture. From earliest civilization, the circle has represented the life-giving force of the sun; eternity; fertility, divinity. Yank created a large body of work using the circle, often with referencing Martin in her use of the line within her circles, as is evident in her piece called “Thrice” as well as in her “XO” series.
For Drew Tal, his environment produced circumspection, as he states, “Growing up in Israel in the ’60’s, was a blessing for me. At that time in history the young state was a true melting pot for millions of immigrants from all around the globe. Surrounded with such a colorful collage of ethnicities, languages, nationalities, cultures and religions made me realize from an early age that the world beyond me was a rich and complex place. This revelation opened my eyes to the exotic, and made me extremely curious about people and their religions, customs, costumes and histories.”
While Israel has experienced much political strife during Tal’s lifetime, he regards each human being as equally sacred, regardless of ethnicity or religion.
April 14 – 17, 2016 | Turner Carroll at the Dallas Art Fair
Located at the Fashion Industry Gallery, adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art in the revitalized downtown arts district. Featuring new works by gallery artists Fausto Fernandez, Hung Liu, Squeak Carnwath, Drew Tal, Jamie Brunson, Rusty Scruby, Edward Lentsch, Wanxin Zhang, Suzanne Sbarge, Karen Yank, Scott Greene, Holly Roberts, and more! Fair hours are Friday and Saturday, April 15 and 16 respectively, from 11am to 7pm, and Sunday, April 17 from 12pm to 6pm, with an opening preview gala Thursday, April 14.
A link to the Dallas Art Fair is here.
Drew Tal, Worlds Apart at Mark Hachem Paris
Tal has a particular emphasis on the Muslim figure. From his childhood memories, the artist remembers: Israel was a colored collage of ethnic groups from North Africa and Eastern Europe, each with its own facial features, specific culture, customs and costumes. This fascination for the ethnic face never left him and he was the nucleus of his photographic art for the last 10 years.