Arnon Katz: Fuck the Meaning
Omer Tiroche Gallery is proud to present the exhibition Fuck The Meaning by Arnon Katz, a high-tech entrepreneur, real estate mogul and in recent years, a talented visual artist. This exhibition will explore the liberation of humankind from the endless search of meaning. Victor Frankl’s book Introduction to Logotherapy: Man Seeks Meaning: From Death Camps to Existentialism deals with humans longing for meaning and exemplifies an existential analysis that focuses on the pursuit of meaning in order to self-medicate life’s horrors and deal with the question of our existence. In his book Frankl argues that modern man has lost his purpose and suffers from “existential emptiness”. However, in his work Katz investigates this need whether it is a necessity and a direct product of realism or a social convention that is imposed as a millstone on the neck of human kind.
Katz’s mother, a painter and a mystic, used to paint in a naturalistic style by studying her surroundings. As a result of his upbringing, Katz’s curiosity towards the spiritual and creative world grew throughout the years. He views art as an inseparable part of the evolution of society, religion, philosophy, and science. In his work, he seeks to break through the boundaries of culture and perception while constantly challenging himself by stepping out of his comfort zone. He follows two basic rules; constant creation, commitment to a daily creation in the studio and visibility of his works. Katz posts his pieces on social media in order to create interaction and discussion around them. These rules lead to an evolutionary progress that seems to burst out of the wide range of works he creates. Thus, one can see a gradual development in his art. At the beginning of his artistic process as an autodidactic painter, he stuck to figurative painting, observing the object, imitating reality and searching for meanings in the artwork. Once he began to master the technical and aesthetic aspects of painting he faced additional challenges. The abstract started to take place on the canvas which grew with his confidence in the making process. Today most of his works are abstract and of great dimension.
Transitioning from a premeditated composition to a contingent, abstract work whose final product is unknown, was not a trivial transition. For Katz it is an ongoing internal struggle which, at times, transforms his studio into a “battlefield”; An area of fury breaking through his own concepts, striving for the absence of meaning and painting through the nothingness. This leads to the creation of a new world on a clean new canvas. The use of the paintbrush has been replaced by kitchen utensils, car wash equipment, nets, fabric, and music speakers. The acrylic paint requires quick action, creating new textures and a powerful sensory experience; all this fascinates Katz and lays the foundation for new questions and methods to explore. His disquiet restlessness leads him to create and innovate with new ways of painting, disassociating himself from any particular style or movement. Katz avoids the use of oil paints due to their elongated drying process, unlike the acrylic paints which suit his frantic state of mind while in the battlefield of his studio. His impatience and restlessness drive his creations forward to new boundaries and produces art that is not captive to the search of meaning, freed from a distinct definition and constant. Katz publishes his artworks on social media especially his Instagram account (zorba2012).
All the proceeds of the exhibition will be transferred in full to Sifrei Meftachim, an association that promotes reading in Israel http://www.keybooks.co.il.
