Nir Hod
b. 1970
Nir Hod was born in Tel Aviv and currently lives in Tel Aviv and New York. In 1993 he got his BFA in Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem.
From the beginning of his work Hod stood out as an artist that creates eccentric, dramatic and provocative art that deals extensively with gender and kitsch matters. After long conservative Israeli painting tradition, Hod's art emerged in the 1990s and was refreshing and sought after. The beauty, glamor and fluid gendered identity was as an exception in the conservative and elitist Israeli art scene.
Nir Hor exhibited his first artworks in 1993 in the exhibition "Antipathos" that displayed in the Israel Museum. In the exhibition Hod's desire to create beauty expressions was noticeable, both in people and in objects. Hod sought out to display beauty at the center of his artwork and showcase its powers of seduction. Through his work he brings up the subject of kitsch for discussion in contemporary art. Hod has many sources of inspiration from art history, fashion, music, cinema and kitsch. Prominent among the subjects of his works are the Israeli political and militaristic realities, dealing with death, beauty, love, youth and cultural heroes.
The artists who influenced him most include Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons. In many ways Hod's work embodies a contemporary version of American pop culture. Hod creates with mixed media techniques, from large-scale oil paintings, glittering sequins and golden backgrounds, to the photographs he directs.
In many of his works, the characters are depicted with smooth skin similar to wax dolls, the effect elevates the characters to an iconic level. Many of Hod's artworks deal with the theme of life and death. In his painting, death is always represented in a young, glowing and beautiful body. A heroic death without old age or decay. There is a glorification of death in his work, while raising the connection between kitsch and death.
One of the recurring motives in his work is the representation of his own personal portrait in his artwork. He presents himself in numerous roles and is reinventing himself every time by displaying himself in different sexual identities and cultural differences. In his work he plays many identities and roles that are rich with borderline sexual identity.
Hod has participated in numerous solo exhibitions and group exhibitions in major galleries and museums in Israel and around the world and is one of the most recognized and successful Israeli artists internationally. In 2014, Hod's painting from the IDB collection was sold at Tiroche auction house at a record price of $44,000.
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