The short film Studio Visit with Tsibi Geva is available to watch at the top of the page.
Tsibi Geva, a renowned Israeli artist, employs a multidisciplinary approach in creating impactful and politically charged artwork. Distinguished as one of Israel’s most influential artists, Geva’s oeuvre engages with the pressing political issues that infiltrate the nuanced complexity of the society within Israel. Through his paintings and installations—often including ready-made objects—Geva deftly navigates themes of identity, homeland, and displacement.
His art encompasses everyday objects and cultural symbols relevant to both Israeli and Palestinian cultures—tires, windows, shutters, and cages, for instance. This intermingling of symbols and common objects mirrors the complicated sociopolitical terrain of the region, examining notions of home, belonging, and estrangement.
The keffiyeh, recognized widely among Arabs, has evolved over time into a potent symbol of the Palestinian struggle for identity and statehood. In the realm of Geva’s art, the keffiyeh is more than a repeated motif; it becomes an object of examination and deconstruction. Geva uses it to disrupt and destabilize the conventional understanding of core concepts like identity, cultural symbolism, and political resistance. This disruption challenges the viewers to reevaluate their preconceived notions and perceive the complexities within these seemingly straightforward concepts.
Geva’s works often occupy spaces that highlight the dynamics of occupation, each bearing a direct relationship with social, political, and cultural contexts. The objects depicted in his artwork serve not only as visual elements but also as prompts for critical interpretations, underlining the artist’s active engagement in the public sphere.
A distinguishing trait of Geva’s work is its serialized format, marked with recurring motifs such as the keffiyeh, windows, flowers, thorns, birds, and mountains. His paintings of flowers and birds evoke a sense of stillness, an arresting motion with an undercurrent of emptiness. Black birds and flowers, seemingly lifeless, feature prominently in his work. Though each piece stands independently, it forms part of a larger series, inherently tied to the political, local, and cultural narrative.
Among Geva’s significant works is Archeology of the Present, a grand installation that enveloped the entire Israeli Pavilion at the 2015 Venice Biennale. It showcased Geva’s signature blend of abstract painting and everyday objects.
In the supplementary video linked above, Geva delves into the evolution of his artistic journey over the years, shedding light on his relentless pursuit of innovation and his aspiration to continuously explore and pioneer uncharted artistic territories.
The featured video Studio Visit with Tsibi Geva is part of the web series Yotsrim by Shachaf Dekel. Yotsrim includes five seasons and 73 episodes. The series won the Best Documentary award at the NYC Web Fest in 2019.
