Gila Myers
Imperfect
Curator: Galit Semel
In this series of her art work, Myers presents unique, grotesque creatures, beautiful in their ugliness, with a perverted and “imperfect” perspective. The identities of the characters are difficult to define, flowing between an androgynous and an alien appearance. At first glance the characters seem childlike and even a little naïve. However, on further examination they appear to be misshapen and flawed. Some of the characters are bodiless and require the viewers to use their imagination to complete the image. The body, in those images which have one, is depicted only in the upper part, as hollow, mostly limbless, and lacking identifying features. The enigmatic facial expressions of the characters seem scared, angry, surprised, while displaying difficulty, and even pain, anxiety and detachment.
There is no sign of time, place or concrete dimension to testify as to their belonging, and they are frequently painted on a white background with no perspective, projecting foreignness, marginalization and coldness. The grotesque element is emphasised in her work through hybridisation, discord and exaggeration, including various types of conflict: between rational and irrational, amusing and frightening, living and lifeless, innocence and tension.
Myers’ paintings may well arouse in the viewer mixed feelings - an aversion to the distorted body alongside an attraction to the beauty and mystery of the different. At the same time, her paintings provoke questions such as - what is considered unusual? On the other hand, what is perfect? What is beautiful? Can beauty be defined? Myers’ characters display a strange and different look, far from the accepted concept of beauty in Western society. But her paintings are imbued with great beauty, and they are proof that beauty is to be found even in places where, according to accepted social convention, it shouldn’t exist.
The works in this exhibition do not seek to disengage from reality, but rather to reflect it from within a thorough look at our daily surroundings. This is sober painting, deeply and critically examining itself and society. Despite the morbid feelings evident in the art work, the paintings reveal an instinct for survival and an inner strength, and a diversity that doesn’t attest to any particular individual. Thus, Myers’ paintings relay a message of hope and of opportunity for change, through an awareness of the “different” within them, and through their ability to project a meaningful call for social reform.