Yeal Ben David’s "The Demon in the Sunlight" Delving into Questions on the Meaning of Life
Yael Ben David, JOY/THE STAR GIRL, pencil on paper, 2020.
Yael Ben David's first solo exhibition "The Demon in the Sunlight" came to life in the project room of Tel Aviv artists' workshops, curated by Eitan Buganim. The 30-year-old artist graduated from Jerusalem's Bezalel Academy of Art five years ago. Ben David created the exhibition when the world felt like it was collapsing and existing in complete uncertainty. Time stopped, and it seemed like we lost the ability to see beyond the present. This is perhaps mankind's genuine desire to be in the moment.
The year 2020 marked the official entrance into the 'Age of Aquarius' -- a period shaped by female energy. This is one of the many reasons this exhibition felt so accurate to me. The works in the exhibition move on an axis between abysmal pain and sudden enlightenment that emerges from the darkness. There's a deep understanding that there is no other choice beyond our devotion to ourselves and the need for time to re-emerge. The strength of the exhibition is its vulnerability. Each work is woven with life's fragile moments.
"The understanding that you are in a place solely in front of yourself is a very vulnerable and scary place to be," Ben David said. The artist walked me through her work process that began with great despair. "You tell yourself about all the things you will do, about the person you aim to be, and within a week, you will start crying, entering a painful loop of introspection."
Yael Ben David, THE NOISE, oil on canvas, 160X120 cm, 2020.
Ben David's style is wild, slightly virginal. In almost all illustrations, the female body isn't shown entirely -- her works are characterized by amputated limbs, concealment, and shortening of legs to express pain. We soon begin to understand that these are actually symbolic of growing pains. In her works, we witness the process of re-emergence of a body that exists by virtue and despite its painful existence, the prominent contours of the character examine its presence and create a kind of clear boundary between the face - except that the artist chooses to look at it.
In her first work, "JOY / THE STAR GIRL," a female figure is seen sitting in a twisted position, resembling a posture from yoga. The subject's face is obscured and her gaze is concealed. A knife is stuck in her leg, stopping her from moving. Another element that respites in the works is the stars, each time appearing slightly different. In this work, they appear in the chest area.
"Out of the dull and strong force of the beast the human spirit tries to push itself forward" The spirit has not yet been able to express itself freely, and therefore, it is doomed - in this chapter to be bound to its end, to stone and beast.”
From "Phenomenology of the Spirit" by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.
“Andromeda’s a big, wide-open galaxy
Nothing in it for me except a heart that’s lazy
Running from my own life now
I’m really turning some time
Looking up to the sky for something I may never find
Stop calling
It’s time to let me be
If you think you can save me
I’d dare you to try”
In "THE NOISE," the figure seeks to be reborn and reunited t with nature. There's something primal in this figure, similar to that of the first woman and mother, Eve. In the book of Genesis, the woman is on her own, "It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper against him." There is a sense of belonging and completion. The figure stands naked on the edge of a small pool, which contains life and death. Ben David symbolically commemorates this idea through the representation of animals and nature. The composition is deceptive. The figure is seen for moments hanging from the air, but blends with the sky, the moon, and the stars. All the animals surrounding the figure watch her, as she turns into an object of their pleasure, and they are hers.
Yael Ben David, THE PANIC ISLAND, oil on canvas, 180X120 cm, 2020.
In "THE PANIC ISLAND," an enigmatic and terrifying moment is presented: darkness full of red crescents symbolizing a new moon and bright stars, along with a figure of a dog sitting on vegetation. Her prominent udders imply that she may be pregnant or after calving, but there is no trace of the puppies or a male dog. She is lonely. There is a remark of savagery and domestication. Ben David's choice to use a female dog to emphasize her own femininity is a beautiful move that raises questions about her role in the world.
The scale of the stars and the multiplicity of moons create an ominous feeling. Still, as detached from what is happening, the character's indifferent body posture actually inspires a sense of security. Her gaze, even if it is not clear, is present. A sense of dissonance raises questions about the essence of the painting's narrative but in the same way brings up the central theme of the exhibition, the power that comes from dealing with pain and feels like a rebirth of the artist.
In "Protection," we see amputees and a headless androgynous figure. Instead of its head, it has the star symbol of Mercury, the star in charge of communication, and the Virgo sign's ruler. The hand of the figure is turned aside as a gesture, and in front of it, there's a swan shedding a tear. The swan's identity is intriguing, and the choice is not accidental. In nature, the swan is portrayed as a gentle, noble yet violent and extremely protective animal. There is a reference here to the maternal, communicative part that the artist examines. These are different but complementary characters, the tenderness of the swan and his desire to protect the severed figure, who may have hurt himself, along with the thought that it may be both sides of one character living side by side, in pain yet happily.
"There is an implication to tough love, of mother and daughter, and also mine to me, of myself. Defending myself. Through communication, the desire to teach exists - the desire to protect. We want to protect the people we love from pain, ourselves. This move, which is an act of love, can be interpreted as a war, and so the swan from the protected place is also what makes it a tragic animal for me".
Ben David's works utilize symbolism, including the use of shapes and images to evoke emotion. This is a pattern we see throughout her works. She forms a language composed of symbols that tell a story of her emotional world. The use of animals, as in tarot cards, symbolizes her preoccupation with the human spirit, which is also reminiscent of prehistoric, mythological art reminiscent of the physical and human images that appeared in Egyptian art.
