Preliminary Signs

Preliminary Signs

Braverman Gallery, 33 Eilat St., Tel Aviv

Opening: Thursday, April 10, 2025, 7-10 pm.

Ronit Baranga’s second solo exhibition at Braverman Gallery, “Preliminary Signs”, seeks to explore the concept of transformation, a gradual change, sometimes barely noticeable, yet one that holds within it a profound inner shift.  In this exhibition, Baranga presents figurative, realistic painting for the first time, combined with sculpture that creates a visual illusion effect (trompe l’oeil).

On the gallery walls hang a series of works depicting drawn and sculpted female figures in intimate and disturbing interactions. In the space, sculptures of young girls convey a sense of subtle danger.  A swing holding three baby sculptures hangs from the ceiling, gently swaying.

The works were created over the last two years, with each series emerging from the previous one, like visions and ideas evolving from one another.  Hence the name “Preliminary Signs”, a creative process in which each work or series echoes the previous one and opens the door to what will follow.  The result is an exhibition of circular structure, where each work is linked to the others through a shared visual and thematic language: the girl, playing with fabric dolls, creates preliminary signs to the compositions of the painted female figures, by setting the dolls in forced postures.  Playing with the dolls is a preliminary sign to the babies placed on a fragile swing, who in turn serve as preliminary signs to the girls standing at the edge of the playground structure.

The expression Preliminary Signs suggests a vague but disturbing feeling – something threatening, hidden from view, lurking just around the corner.  Such signs can only be seen by those who observe their surroundings with open eyes, sharply and attentively.  This sense of quiet yet tangible danger weaves through the exhibition in the sculptures and paintings where fantasy meets fear.

The works, both in their materiality and imagery, engage with transitions: from one body to another, from childhood to adolescence, from the complete to the broken, from order to chaos. Baranga continues to explore the relationships between body, soul, and the inner world, inspired by personal stories, infusing them with a universal tone, resonating with every viewer in a deep and intimate manner.

Ronit Baranga (b. 1973) is a sculptor and installation artist whose figurative work resides on the border between the  living and still life.  Her realistic, surreal creations address the complexities of contemporary issues such as identity, control, consumption, emotional states and relationships.

Her work has been exhibited worldwide and is included in numerous museum and private collections. Key exhibitions include Fondation Bernardaud, Limoges (2022); the Ceramics and Design Biennale, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv (2020); Haifa Museum of Art (2019); and Banksy’s Dismaland, UK (2015).

Her works are part of public collections including the National Museum of Slovenia, China Great Wall Museum, Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taiwan, Eretz Israel Museum, and others.

Baranga holds a BA in Psychology and Literature from the University of Haifa and studied Art History at Tel Aviv University and at Hamidrasha Art School.

Curator: Adi Gura