Almost

The core of Arif-Galanti’s exhibition is the video work Almost (2009). The work deals with the intermediate state between sleep and wakefulness, hallucination and consciousness. At the pre-awakening moments the eyes flutter; they see, hallucinate and simultaneously refrain from their surroundings. Reality knocks on the door, manifesting itself in varying environmental noises. This narrow crack seeks to find anchors in reality while trying to escape back into a state of sleep. A condition ranging between two spectrums is apparent in several other works. This tension gives rise to a third state – an intermediate elusive moment, which the eye of the beholder tries to capture while hovering between conflicting essences.

A line, created by the connection of two surfaces of color, textures or materials, simultaneously divides and links the sections of the work, highlighting the similarities and differences between them. Sometimes, the surrounding functions as a background by highlighting the subject/object/landscape, as in the case of the sofas. The background animates the sofas’ fabrics in the front section of the works, enabling them to indicate a time, a place and an experience. The connection point between the objects and the background restores the balance between the elements, allowing a further impression of the color fields, which unite to form a complete hermetic perfection.

Arif-Galanti captures the moment of transition between the concrete and the abstract, referring to the modernist process of abstraction. Red Desert (2010) and Longing (2009) examine the issue of movement and time, preserving the tension between motion and stagnation. The rich color tones, a prominent feature of her photographs, help maintain the permanent tension evident in these works.