The title of this series refers to the art movement that emerged in the 1950s after Abstract Expressionism, largely characterised by abstract canvases painted primarily with large areas of solid colour, as seen in the work of Rothko, Motherwell and Stella.
There is a clear visual and psychological resonance between colour field painting and this series, which captures outdoor scenes incidentally lit by artificial sources; a study of light pollution, if you will. The effect is to falsify the world, as if it had been contrived in a studio, creating an sensual, intimate yet almost claustrophobic atmosphere. Unlike natural light, which bathes vast areas fading gently into a hazy distance, these artificial pools drop off quickly into an ominous abyss. These images stand as a metaphor for human condition, our intelligence illuminating only the ground around our feet, as we stand in a vast dark ocean of the unknown, echoing the brooding darkness of Rothko.
96.5 x 124 cm actual image size, edition of 5 + 1 AP - POA
119.5 x 152.5 cm actual Image size, edition of 3 + 1 AP - POA
Signs That We Exist
Humanity is characterised by its careless abundance of activity; fascinated by our detritus, Nadav has an acute eye for finding a truth and beauty in the most mundane places - the syncopated rhythms of holes in a pin board or stiletto marks in the pile of a carpet; tantalising scraps of ephemeral information, remnants of intelligent design; All of these reveal how the human forces of purpose and function unconsciously conform to their own aesthetic criteria.
96.5 x 124 cm actual image size, edition of 5 + 1 AP - POA
119.5 x 152.5 cm actual Image size, edition of 3 + 1 AP - POA
The Mouth
Shanghai Area 3900 - 3600 Miles
Upstream
Shanghai Area 3600 - 2900 Miles
The Flooding
The Three Gorges Dam Area 2900 - 2450 Miles
Colour Fields
NADAV KANDER