Israeli artist David Gerstein’s first solo show in India depicts life on streets and some of his famous works inspired by sports. He talks to Divya Kaushik about his art projects in Taiwan and Singapore and what design he envisions for public spaces in India
There can’t be any dull moment in life of a person always surrounded with colours and people. David Gerstein believes in motion, continuity and energy that’s felt on streets and other public spaces. This is much reflected in his 3D metal works that are mostly about people and various activities they indulge in. His sculptures with bright colours, well-defined structures and remarkable detailing define various aspects of life and sometimes nature.
The Israeli artist is famous for his large outdoor installations, which are very much part of the Israeli landscapes, and his works made quite a splash during India Art Fair. He is presenting his first solo show, Poetic Mirror, brought to India by Bruno Art Group and curated by Alka Pande, at Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre.
Born in Jerusalem in 1944, David studied in Jerusalem, Paris, New York and london and started exhibiting his works in 1971. He uses a large spectrum of media such as wall sculptures, paper cuts, prints and photographs and other small objects. The most striking feature of his work is the way he uses laser cut technology to create his sculptures.
He explains, “I am using laser cut technology in metal, which enables me to cut accurate lines. I first draw my design and then use laser technique to cut figures from the metal. laser allows me to get every detail of my drawing. Earlier I used hand-cut wood but I was not satisfied with the result. I realised metal is the best material to give shape to my ideas. But it is not metal that communicates my thoughts, it is what’s painted on the metal that puts the idea across. Now I am working with aluminium and industrial paint coming from car industries. This paint is of best quality and sticks to the material and most importantly I like the look it lends to the work. My work is all about pop art and things that we encounter everyday in life. I like its impact. Years ago, I used oil paints but it was too academic and old fashioned. Industrial colours add a distinct look to my sculptures. The reason I mostly work with bright colours is because I enjoy it and feel like being a child again. Colours lift my mood. They are one reason I guess Indians love my works.”
Images taken from busy streets, cyclists and nature form the base of his sculptures. The artist says, “Mostly I work on urban subjects, like crowd, street scenes or subjects representing everyday life. But there is a contrast in my works. There are urban scenes and to balance them there are scenes from nature. When we live in big cities we often dream of going back to nature and when we start living an organic life in the lap of nature, we tend to miss city life. So you can find this confusion in my works. Then there are lot of sports images. I am personally interested in sports. I am a bicycle rider and have done a lot of work around cyclists. For some time it became my favourite theme. Also, this technique of metal laser cut out lends itself very well to things in movement. It defines motion very well.”
David’s inspiration comes from things he encounters in daily life mixed with his memories from childhood. But while designing his public artworks, he follows a different criteria. “The public art work is my most ambitious and preferable work because I like to show my art to masses. Size doesn’t matter, it is like an architect designs on computer and people work on it, I design on paper and then come up with it, others install it. I only focus on right design. When I do a monumental work it is very important to consider how it will integrate with the environment. If the building has a certain meaning, you have to design sculpture as per the building. The public art work should initiate a dialogue with its surroundings as well as people who watch it. I did sculpture for a stadium in Taiwan. People who commissioned me the work wanted something with sports. I did the sculpture representing the content of the building. For a public art project, it is important to understand where the sculpture will be located, its surroundings and the message it will convey to public at large. When I was commissioned to do a monumental piece in Singapore, I thought it will be 10 meters high but when I saw the space I discovered that it should be twice bigger than what I thought. A public art sculpture should present a balance and should enhance the beauty of its surroundings. It cannot be created only as per the thought of the creator,” shares David, who is very keen to design a public art project in India.
“I am waiting to be commissioned some work. I would love to do some cultural piece or something to be installed in the middle of a park, may be something like a huge flower, as a metaphor for peace and beauty of this place,” says David.
He has been following the works of Indian artists since last few years and particularly likes the works by Subodh Gupta and Anish Kapoor. David admits he looks forward to watching the way “life is being performed on Indian streets, to smell the food and to see the wonderful craft that is being done everywhere.”
He says, “India and Israel share the same landscape and vegetation since the weather is closed but I am more interested in urban scenes than just landscape views.” The exhibition continues till May 15.