Fountains / Alon Gil

Curator: Ofer Lellouche

Opening: Friday 8/7/22 at 11:00

Gallery Talk: Friday, 19/8/22 at 11:30 at the Benyamini Center

Online gallery talk: Wednesday, 24.8.2022, 19:30- To register

Closing: Saturday 27/8/22 at 14:00

“And a river went out of Eden to water the garden” (Genesis)

For a decade I have worked with Alon Gil where he lives in a village called Clil in the Western Galilee. In this time, I was exposed to his work and especially to the series of small fountains which were magical for me.  Clil is a very special village where life is in harmony with nature.  No electricity, streetlights and humble homes hide behind green orchards.  With this as the background, Gil’s fountains took on a special meaning, a memory of lost paradise where life is slow and the sound of running water from the mouths of sculptured birds falls at the feet of majestic palms. 

Water fountains are sculptural architectural elements found in homes and in public spaces.  They appear in ancient cultures, especially in the Mediterranean. This water feature carries spiritual meaning of calm and perpetual flow giving an atmosphere of harmony and spiritual elevation. The sound of water flowing, and the repetitive motion is a considerable part of the fountain in addition to the material and the design of the receptacle which creates a sensual space of sound, form, and color, depending on the material of the fountain such as stone, metal, or concrete.

The fountains in the exhibition are in dialog with this tradition, but they are all made from ceramic which allows for colorful and unique glazes.  In the works there is a combination of several ceramic traditions and skills including large wheel thrown pots, massive and masculine expressed in the feminine water receptacle as well as the tradition of porcelain miniatures that appear at the top of the fountain. 

The fountain appears as a universal narrative image, local and personal.  The sculptural elements (animals, plants, and figures) invite the viewer to take part in the art and ritual experience, a type of Garden of Eden on earth, and as we draw closer to the object another layer is exposed – sometimes making us smile or pensive or dreamy.