“Putting the Negev on paper” was the mission of Israeli artist Inbal Cohen Hamo when she conceptualized her new, very intimate exhibition, “Land of the Moon”. Exhibited at the Benyamin Gallery in Tel Aviv, Inbal's work is inspired by two books, Journey to the Negev by Rina Baron and Land of the Negev by photographer Peter Marom. Inbal worked from photographs that she scanned onto paper and modified to modernize them. Her works depict the desert, a region that is dear to her and an integral part of her life.
"These books immediately reminded me of my childhood, because I really liked walking in the Negev region, it is connected to my personal history. Rina Baron's book tells of the journey of a boy with a camel who speaks, through historical sites of the Negev. My works are very faithful to the Negev as it is in reality, I do not seek to embellish reality but rather to reveal all its facets", declares Inbal.
For two years, Inbal worked using very specific techniques to achieve an authentic result; after scanning the black and white photos, she sometimes adds color. She digitized the photos from Baron and Marom's books with a simple scanner but also with a sophisticated scanner generally used for digitizing films. Her works show the Negev from angles little known to the public, with details obtained only after scanning.
“Thanks to the scanner, some places appear very different than in photos or in real life. Rocks with strange shapes, for example, take on a new appearance. This technique offers a thousand possibilities for creation,” she said.
Inbal also uses artificial intelligence to add its personal touch. For example, she grafted white wings to Marom's camel, "without them, it only looked like a simple camel", or superimposed bands of color on desert landscapes to brighten them up.
Most of the works were created before the war began, but some were added after the October 7 massacres, which took place in southern Israel. "After the war, this part of the country became a bit of hell for me - both in terms of color and content. If the images created before the war have a certain innocence, those made afterwards have much more darkness,” says Inbal.
In recent years, Inbal, a multidisciplinary artist, has presented various exhibitions and collective projects; she is a member of the Benyamin Cooperative Gallery and the Fedart group and she writes about art.
The exhibition is until July 13 at the Benyamin gallery, 5 Shvil Hameretz Street in Tel Aviv.
Inbal's website : https://www.inbalcohenhamo.com/
Caroline Haïat
Comments