The exhibition, Green Lung, examines the relationship between man and plant, and exposes the view of life and breath that lies within the composition, as an analogy of the green areas of growth that bring the urban space to life.
The exhibition includes the oil paintings and drawings of Maya Israel, many of whose works constitute the complex interactions between man and plant. They portray areas of illustration that unfold or burst out, and which function as a haven of breathing space. Alongside the paintings is a display of hanging sculptures by the artist, Maria Chekhanovich: sprouting sculptures from which edible seedlings will grow, and which will germinate during the course of the exhibition. Within these living sculptures resides the tension between the stable and geometric structure, and physicality and the freedom to burst forth and flourish. In a participatory middle event, the sprouts will be eaten and a new sprouting cycle will commence.
Maya Israel and Maria Chekhanovich are creators and artists, each one employing a completely different approach to their work. Despite this, their exhibits are displayed together to clarify the elusive potential that dwells on the boundary between imagination and reality, nature and culture, sky and water. This boundary, which also alludes to the national-political border, is the continuous focus of the artists, and from where new insights and connections between art and reality continue to sprout.
