Hila Karabelnikov

Hila Karabelnikov (b.1981, Israel) deals with daily Jewish-Israeli existence. As a National-Religious Jewish woman, she belongs at once to the religious community and secular society. The two cultures are central to her work. Her paintings, constructed of scraps of multi-colored masking-tape, depict everyday scenes from the religious environment as well as scenes from secular Israeli life, Israeli landscapes and urban moments. Her social investigation stems from two mentalities; in which she closely identifies with the paintings’ subjects, and simultaneously takes the role of a silent observer at the sidelines. Many personal motifs are evident, and there are many references to art historical imagery. Karabelnikov’s incorporated self-portraiture is a direct translation of these opposing mentalities. The portrait, in both cases, gazes out from within the painting.