Winner of the 2015 Miron Sima Prize for the Visual Arts

Evron’s works which could be called figurative abstracts, are the result of expert manipulation. Like an illusionist, Evron confuses our senses. However his actions are evident in that they reveal to the viewer the codes to decipher and the keys for understanding the alterations of the image. As illusions, his fabricated photographs carry spectral qualities that recall the widespread practice of spirit photography in the 19th century.

In an era when attitudes to photography have undergone a radical shift and we are required to re-examining the older forms and practices of the medium, Evron’s contemporary artistic approach and exercise is attuned to these changes and deeply philosophical. His investigation of the traditional photographic technologies and imagery point to two different things: First, to the simple relationship that produces a resemblance of a reality that is not necessarily an exact copy of the real but replaces it; and second, to the set of procedures that create what we call art: the alteration of resemblances.

The three series of recent works presented in this exhibition have no doubt many elements in common. Considering the ensemble as a whole, it could be summarized as being the result of an interpretive materialistic absolutism of the artist’s, since they offer totally new visions based on a material-external world propelled, through his operations, into subjective new objects. While still maintaining a certain correlation to the real external world they deny the Kantian concept of knowledge of the existence of things. In fact, as often the case in art, Evron creates the unthinkable, and, in the words of Proust, he makes the viewer see the universe through the eyes and thought of someone else – the artist.

When facing Evron’s images and considering their singularity and objectivity, one is forced to ask not only what history they document but also which memories they decant as all together they constitute series of complex temporal knots.

On his Dreyfus/Méliès series the committee wrote: “Evron’s works make a unique artistic statement, which draws simultaneously on different artistic media such as photography and cinematography. In his Dreyfus/Méliès project, Evron defies and transforms the definitions of those media, adding new dimensions of meaning and creativity within them. Evron’s work is a feat of originality, innovation and intricacy that find expression in an exploration of the early beginnings of the cinematic medium. The challenging visual aspect of Evron’s work, as well as his approach to research and experimentation, pushes the boundaries of the medium and encourages the observer to reflect on and rethink the image observed, as well as deep-seated questions on the artistic status of the image. The innovative aspect of his art, the visual element of surprise and the intellectual stimulation endow Evron’s work with depth and appeal that call upon the viewer to stand up to the challenge and contemplate the work observed.”

Members of the prize committee: Dr. Gal Ventura, Ilit Azoulay, Dr. Nissan N. Perez.

The prize is awarded bi-annually in memory of the painter Miron Sima, is dedicated this year to artists in the field of photography.

The exhibition is accompanied by a Catalogue

The Miron Sima Visual Award Ceremony 2015 will be held on the day of the opening – Sat. 21.2.2015