With the opening of new exhibitions by the renowned artist Avraham Eilat, the Ein Hod Art Gallery and Janco Dada Museum echo with a profound question that strikes at the essence of human existence: What happens when we face the fear of “suddenly too late”?
This poignant inquiry lies at the heart of a semi-retrospective that celebrates Eilat’s life and work – a pioneering artist who has never hesitated to explore the complexities of the human condition.
Eilat, a multidisciplinary artist who has traversed painting, sculpture, film, and sound with unwavering curiosity, invites us into a world where the personal and the political, the beautiful and the brutal, coexist in a delicate balance. His art doesn’t just reflect reality – it converses with it, navigating anxieties, traumas, and resilience.
The exhibition serves as a time capsule, where Israel’s past and present reverberate through Eilat’s creations.
His early works, emerging from the aftermath of the Six Day War, convey a generation wrestling with the scars of conflict, its collective trauma imprinted on canvases that transcend the specifics of any battle.
Later pieces, marked by labyrinthine tunnels and faceless figures, evoke a haunting vision of a dystopian future, where oppressive forces tighten their grip, suffocating individual freedom.
Yet, within these somber reflections, a profound sense of hope emerges. Eilat’s unflinching examination of the “organic, cultural, and socio-political body” does not stem from despair but from a deep belief in human resilience.
A space for contemplation and renewal
His art, though often stark and unsettling, ultimately highlights our capacity to uncover beauty and meaning even in the face of turmoil. Through bold compositions, evocative imagery, and layered symbolism, Eilat transforms struggle into a testament to endurance, offering viewers a space for contemplation and renewal.
“It’s true that the exhibition title seems tailor-made for these terrible days that we are all experiencing with pain, but it already served me in 2004 in my solo exhibition Suspicious Symptoms, at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art,” Eilat says when asked about the exhibition’s title, The Fear of What is Suddenly Too Late, and its resonance with Israel’s turbulent times.
“This means that it was not chosen under the influence of current events but as an expression of feelings that have accompanied me for a long time regarding the existential state of man and society throughout history.”
This sense of timelessness – grappling with universal anxieties that transcend specific events – is a hallmark of Eilat’s work. He delves into the depths of human experience, exploring themes of war, illness, and death not to shock or provoke but to offer a space for reflection and healing.
“Difficult subjects have been at the heart of my work since the 1960s,” Eilat explains. “My preoccupation with these stems from the desire to deal with questions and situations that give expression to what Hanoch Levin called The Labor of Life (Mlechet Hachayim).”
Eilat’s artistic journey has been one of constant exploration and experimentation. He has embraced a wide range of mediums, allowing his ideas to dictate their form.
“As you know, I have used a wide range of mediums and experimented with many different techniques,” he says. “It seems to me that the initial motive for what may seem like dispersion and inconsistency is curiosity and a desire to take advantage of as many possibilities as I can, to express my ideas and experiences.”
This willingness to push artistic boundaries has resulted in a body of work that is both diverse and deeply personal. His art transcends limitations, forging connections with audiences on an intimate level.
The exhibition highlights this artistic breadth. Psychophysical Time, a new installation inspired by the ancient Egyptian mastaba, invites contemplation on the passage of time and the ephemeral nature of existence.
Eilat’s studio is close to his house in Ein Hod, where he lives with Margol, his life partner. “Margol is also a partner in much of my work,” he confesses. “The mastaba installation is a good example of this.”
Photograms, reminiscent of Man Ray’s dreamlike imagery, blur the lines between the tangible and intangible. Large-scale oil paintings, rich in texture and vibrant color, immerse viewers in Eilat’s world, where figuration and abstraction dissolve into a symphony of form and emotion.
This exhibition is an invitation to engage with the artist’s vision, confront our fears and anxieties, and find solace in the shared human experience. It is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, renewal is possible – that meaning and purpose can emerge from the fear of “suddenly too late.”
As Eilat puts it: “People who are familiar with the various incarnations of my work tell me that despite the upheavals and multiplicity of faces, it is always possible to recognize the basic core that is at the heart of my work.”
This basic core, the unwavering belief in the power of art to heal and transcend, is what makes Avraham Eilat’s work so compelling. This exhibition is more than a look back; it is a beacon of hope, a testament to art’s ability to illuminate the human condition in all its depth and complexity.