Natural Causes have Surreal Effects
When you first glance at some of Shay Kun‘s works, they look digitally manipulated, constructed in the form of a collage and sewn up together using numerous photographs. And this eccentric quality makes them tremendously attractive. But surprisingly enough, and as you might have guessed by now, these are not pictures crafted with computer tools, but are 100 per cent oil on canvas.
The New York-based artist studied Fine Art at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, following it up with an MA in the same from Goldsmith College, London. Borrowing from the nature motif that 19th century painters used under the Hudson River School movement, this workaholic artist builds upon the formerly used idea to talk of a world surrounded by nature, but one that has also been infested with obtrusive ‘development’. In his artist statement, Kun mentions that his paradoxical works combine beauty (nature) with the beasts (intruding humans and the effects of their actions). However, what also strikes the viewer is the power he to affixes nature – it is a humongous character, looming above the man-made, and almost magical in its portrayal.
In an interview with Emaho Magazine, Shay Kun talks to Sapna Mathur about his childhood, influences and paintings.
Tell us about yourself – when did you begin painting and how did you eventually decide upon studying Art?
I have been painting since I learned how to walk, literally. Both my parents are artists as well, so there was a road map, of sorts, that came very naturally at an early age. There was no precise moment or decision.
What do the colorful hot air balloons, present in so many of your paintings, signify?
The hot air balloons can be traced to toys that my parents, who were holocaust survivors, brought back from the war. They were carved out of wood. I took them and nurtured them back to life, by making them a part of my own personal journey. So their usage is not simply an expression of tongue-in-cheek, but also, an emotional exploration of my roots. It is an object that is loaded with meaning, and simultaneously also very glossy and commercial to play with.
‘The Wolf and The Dove, 2012. Oil on canvas‘
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