Solo Exhibition of Anat Rozenson
July 25, 2020 -
November 30, 2020
Confessions
of A House Builder
FROOTS Shanghai
Artists: Anat Rozenson
This piece was created last year. The clock on the wall is a time machine for artist. when her back is facing the audience and thinking as if time goes back for more than a decade. It is a time channel which has documented the change and growth in the artist's life.
What qualities make an outstanding artist?
Talent, diligence, a distinctive personality, being true to oneself, having social conscience. It is not accidental that Annat Rozensen, who possesses all these qualities, gained fame in the Israeli art scene.
Is Anat Rozenson a female theme artist?
“Home” has always been Rozenson’s central theme, and the main character in her paintings is usually female. But what’s worth noticing is that the “home” mentioned in the artwork is the artist’s own home, and not “home” in a universal sense; The female figure is the abstract form of the artist herself and not “women” in a universal sense. Rozenson believes the best way to know this world is to experience it as an individual. Family background, education and social environment shape a person’s life philosophy and world view. Therefore, her paintings portray reality from an individual, rather than a generic female, perspective.
Does Anat Rozenson aim to criticize?
Rozenson’s work is more about bringing up questions. Questions pop up from behind the gentle colors and the rhythmic patterns in every piece, asking again and again: “What am I doing?”,“What’s the meaning of doing this?”. These questions haunt even her 2019 piece “on the way home” (displayed in this space), which is filled with a festive atmosphere, celebrating her moving to a new home. Here, the boat – a reoccurring motif – is transformed into a container filled with furniture. Having ended several years of living in a temporary caravan, Rozenson moved into a large and beautiful house. However, even here, conflict awaits. A river separates the fireplace – a symbol of homely warmth, from the fabulously painted nature – a symbol of freedom.
Being a woman, defined and shaped by society, the reality Rozenson described and her questions are, no doubt, representative of the female gender in its entirety. But she claims questions like “what’s the meaning of Sisyphean actions?” are questions all human beings face, no matter which gender they are.
“A house without walls” or “A Mirage”?
Besides using art to explore relationships between multiple aspects of her personal life, Rozenson also focuses and commits on “demolishing walls” between different groups in society: She chose to live in a cooperative settlement where there are both religious and secular residents. She also actively participates in discussions of feminist artists as well as Jewish and Arabic artists’ joint groups and activities.
“A house without walls” – is this the purpose she’s pursuing?
A Quarter to Four
50×60 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2019
In 2019. She and her family ended a few year’s caravan life and moved into a home built by themselves . This significant life event inspired this piece.
On the Way Home
220×150 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2019
Untitled
160×160 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2006
Whipped Cream
120×120 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2015
Irrigate the Walls
180×120 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2019
Muse
250×150 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2007
The Rainbow Fountain
160×130 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2019
Foundations
120×120 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2018
Untitled
110×160 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2019
Home and Ship
140×100 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2011
House building
Anat has documented the whole process of her dream house building.
This is what Anat's house look like after the construction.
A lot of peopled had new feelings about “home” during quarantine. These created during quarantine had very interesting turn. In the beginning, the strong unsteadiness made me unable to concentrate on painting. During that time I had to stay with my kids or do some indoor activities or play in the nearby Golan Heights. One night when I entered my studio trying to paint, any new ideas and thoughts appeared in my mind. The original plan was to create one huge painting for this exhibition instead it was replaced by other smaller pieces of different theme which contains different rhythm, different perspective and fun encounter between inside and outside.
Between Meals
40×30 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
40×50 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Based on a True Story
70×30 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
40×30 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Studio in Nature
50×40 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
This one is called “silence” which I spent a lot of time trying to finish it. Actually, I started this piece a very long time ago and waited to make some changes. I spent a lot of time on this and always think there’s something missing, something unfinished. So this painting stayed in the studio the whole time. One day I suddenly realized this is how it should be, silence appeared in the painting, it doesn’t’t need to add more on the canvas and that’s when I know it’s time to end. Because the silence in this painting is the core.
Silence
150×90 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2018
SOLD
Springboard
30×30 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
20×20 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
20×20 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
100×120 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2019
Untitled
20×20 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
20×20 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
20×20 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
20×20 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Oxygen Supply 1
30×40 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Pause
20×20 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
20×20 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Oxygen Supply 2
20×40 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Mask
20×30 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Working from Home
20×30 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
40×60 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2019
Green Shelf
20×30 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
60×80 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
60×80 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2020
Untitled
60×80 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2019
Untitled
100×120 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2019
These are two pieces of women working in the field. One is mother and daughter in the paddy field and the other is few women making tiles. These labor symbolizes housework and effort made for the family. Artist thinks housework injects energy and beauty to a tiny space. In these work she felt presence and the touch of the root of life. In her work, you can tell she’s very proud of the time and energy she invested in this home. At the same time, she felt those who stand by her side are always women. These art pieces showed artist’s way of describing reality from her perspective. Artists raises questions based on people’s expectation and where she currently stands in real life.
Lifestyles
120×100 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
2019