Elina 2020 Print

Zohar Cohen, born in 1969, is a painter who creates large canvases of color that are connected by a color vibration that exists between one stroke of paint and another. He uses small, dense strokes of color to create layers of light and mood. Zohar hints at the sources of his work through the names of the pieces, such as the Kigali series which he started during his stay in Rwanda. Zohar's journey begins with a pictorial idea based on a geographical location. He observes lines and spots created directly on the canvas. The main idea is preserved in the studio, but there is a process of disconnection from the geographical place, and while destroying and neutralizing something else is created. The viewer can experience the painting in two ways. They can focus on molecular units, like looking through a microscope at items that form a uniform, sensual, and abstract fabric. Alternatively, they can observe from a distance and experience a struggle. Zohar's harmonious coloring is calculated in an almost scientific way, where dots, lines, painted stripes, everything is woven into the fabric of the painting, creating a uniform work of art that is linked deeply to reality. Over the years, Zohar created a series of interiors, in which there is a figure in the room, like a sort of focal point, with ripples of color bursting from the outside and disturbing the inside of the painting