Oil painting by Yigal Ozeri depicting the Chandni Chowk market in Delhi.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Some of the oil paintings by New York-based Israeli artist Yigal Ozeri, currently on display at the Bikaner House, as part of the artist’s first solo exhibition in India, titled My Territory, make you wonder if they are photos or paintings.
Photorealism, an American art movement that sought to recreate images from photos using various mediums, was once a small niche within pop art. Many curators dismiss photorealism as mere replication, but Ozeri, who started as an abstract painter in Israel, gravitated towards photorealism in his artistic evolution. Ozeri leverages modern tools, capturing multiple images and videos before translating them onto canvas. What sets Ozeri apart is his ability to infuse emotion into his paintings, transcending the meticulous technique to evoke genuine feelings.
Bruno Art Group, operating in India for the past decade, facilitated Yigal Ozeri’s My Territory, and Indian audiences seem to be embracing it . During the Delhi Art Fair in February 2023, Ozeri received a good response to his work. “I was quite surprised; the Indian audience is not very familiar with photorealism and yet visitors were curious and enthusiastically asked me a lot of questions about the art form,” says Ozeri.
Oil painting by Yigal Ozeri on the theme “women in nature”
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Ozeri’s current show My Territory serves as a mini-retrospective, featuring 25 of his most renowned paintings displayed across four rooms, each dedicated to a distinct subject namely, women, cities, Delhi and moments. Ozeri’s fame lies in his paintings of women against nature, their hair becoming a focal point that draws the viewer’s attention. However, a highlight of the collection is a series depicting the vibrant street life of Delhi, inspired by Ozeri’s visit to Chandni Chowk. Here, Ozeri skilfully draws parallels between the “insanity and chaos” of Delhi, New York, and Israel.
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The exhibition in Delhi also unfolds with two additional themes: Cities and Moments. Ozeriis eager to witness the varied reactions of the audience to his diverse works. His paintings, beyond their technical brilliance, are a testament to his keen observation of human expressions and the intricacies of the world around him.
Oil painting by Yigal Ozeri depicting the Chandni Chowk market in Delhi.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
In this exploration of photorealism, Ozeri invites the Delhi audience to question, engage, and discover the nuanced beauty that lies within the minutiae of our surroundings. In the artistic tapestry painted by Yigal Ozeri, Delhi becomes a canvas, women become muses, and moments become immortalized.
(At Bikaner House, near India Gate; Till October 22; 10am to 8pm)