Zigi Ben-Haim

Industrial Baroque

April 26 - May 26, 2007

WIndows 2007, 2007, paper, alkyd paint on aluminum, 84 x 36 in (213 x 91 cm)

Beaneath the Raging Sun, 2007, wire mesh, canvas, paper, alkyd paint an dhooks on aluminum, 48 x 60 in (122 x 152 cm)

Living Sharp, 2007, paper, alkyd paint on aluminum, 34 x 40 in (86 x 102 cm)

TraVolution, 2006, wire mesh, canvas, alkyd paint and hooks on aluminum, 84 x 144 in (203 x 366 cm)

Moonface, 2007, paper, alkyd paint on aluminum, 84 x 36 in (213 x 91 cm)

Unknown Grounds, 2007, wire mesh, canvas, paper, alkyd paint and hooks on aluminum, 80 x 144 in (203 x 366 cm)

Utility of Nature, 2007, paper, alkyd paint on aluminum, 34 x 40 in (86 x 102 cm)

The Lines Upon the Sore Earth, 2007, wire mesh, canvas ,paper, alkyd paint and hooks on aluminum, 58 x 144 in (147 x 366 cm)

Human Touch, 2007, wire mesh, paper, alkyd paint on aluminum, 84 x 36 in (213 x 91 cm)

Sunny Nightfall, 2007, paper, alkyd paint on aluminum, 34 x 40 in (86 x 102 cm)

Stux Gallery is pleased to present the work of the internationally established New York artist, Zigi

Ben-Haim. This will be the artist’s third solo exhibition at the Stux Gallery.

In this exhibition, Ben-Haim creates a new world that exists somewhere between abstraction and

representation. His iconography, which appears consistently throughout his work, references our

current state of environmental affairs: habitat loss, global warming and the squandering of nonrenewable

natural resources. At the same time, his images and dynamic spaces force viewers to

examine their own personal relationships within an atmosphere of urban experience.

The works on view are largely inspired by the artist's recent commission by NASA to pay tribute to

the Columbia space shuttle. Employing the grand scale of the universe, as well as our place as

individuals in it, Ben-Haim’s bold imagery and assertive colors suggest that we must be vigilant in

remembering our relationship between the world of nature and the man-made world. To address this

relationship, the artist has created a new visual language, a disparate grouping of elements that

represent the building blocks of life: leaves, bricks, ants, writing, fire, water, etc.

Melding these urban elements with those from his native home in the Middle East, Ben-Haim creates

multi-layered compositions that invite viewers to delve deeper, past the veneer of the works. Wire

mesh, aluminum panels, paper and collage all merge to create pieces as unified in their message as

they are in their visceral visual statement. The oscillation between the larger universe, invented forms

and our more immediate personal environments is a constant in Zigi Ben-Haim’s work, creating a

vivid sense of movement and contrast. These highly textured “sculptural paintings” are a testament,

not only to existence and survival, but also to Ben-Haim’s determination to create a universe within a

universe.

A fully illustrated color catalogue, titled INDUSTRIAL BAROQUE, will accompany the exhibition.

The catalogue includes an interview by Beth Wilson, a member of the International Art Critics

Association (AICA).