Guy Lougashi (IL , 1976 ) is a self taught artist, a scholar with a vibrant aptitude for the studies of visual art, its media, its declinations, its meanings.
Lougashi works with paper as main media, builds three- dimensional pieces which develop between vertical space and among multi-dimensional artefacts. He starts his process by observing, investigating and tweaking the paper matter; his interest - almost scientific, experimental and always cohesive - leads his artistic practice to a multifaceted dimension according to which each and every series is created.
Lougashi preparative and investigative process re-locates the media of paper as no longer being used and perceived as part of the realisation process nor vessel of support but rather as the protagonist which enables self sufficient ecosystems and site specific installations to take form.
Ingenious in creating shapes and accumulations of elements, building vibrant textures and volumes, the artist enables his pieces as being perceived on a poetic and multilayered level, as if each one of them would be a tale in a tale.
Lougashi’s pieces suggest an intricate story which develops to and through an alternate perception of the matter and its forms.
Observing those pieces, the public is drawn to discover a sensory and ephemeral inner world, a delicate and intricate landscape of flickering particles vibrating and mirroring a sense of intimacy and at the same time of disclosure of an alternate reality.
The spaces between the elements of Lougashi’s work, the shapes of the minimal 3-D landscapes -created with meticulously cutten paper, embroidery and salt particles- are the result of his quest for a new signifier as well as the prefiguration of his inner world.
The artist continuously researches the unconventional, the organic, the plastic expressions through which his inner thinking, his delicate aesthetics, develop.
The interaction of Lougashi with the paper matter is the result of his pursuance of a physical rendering for the continuous flow that populates his creative process: by layering, sculpting, sewing, creating negative and positive spaces he produces minimal yet complex works: pieces on the brink between order and a quite, balanced and poetic disorder which are the result of the physical translation of a delicate white noise.
Lougashi’s work with paper, salt elements, volumes and light, video and environment installations, investigate the use of materials, their constructions as into bi-dimensional works and immersive installations.
Guy Lougashi’s quest about the transformation of noise, of ideas, of his drive to express his inner world brings us to dive into the view of an all embracing micro-cosmos populated by the ephemeral yet powerful visions of a liminal reality. It is a world of new signifiers where the signified is a continuous flow of an intimate account…
Chiara Valci Mazzara
Artist statement
My name is Guy Lougashi, a self-taught visual artist born in Haifa, Israel in 1976, based in Berlin.
My work centers on the concept of self-topography and the transformative power of materials, with a particular focus on paper.
Through my art, I explore the tension between destruction and creation, and the transformative power of pain, memories, and visions, while also revealing the beauty and resilience behind dying, death, and remains of microscopic or real colonies. Their emerge and disappearance, their remains like scars, reflect the transformative power of pain and healing. As an artist with a unique approach to working with paper, I believe that this material has the power to awaken something within me and illuminate new possibilities."
My creative process is one of trial and error, as I constantly push the limits of my materials and my own creativity.
I see the world as a laboratory, a place where anything is possible and everything can be transformed. Whether it's paper, fabric, or metal, every material has the power to awaken something within me and illuminate new possibilities.
My paper installations are characterized by a delicate balance between minimalism and complexity, with a focus on circular forms and a dominant use of white tones.
These forms are inspired by lunar landscapes, topographies, and fossils, and are often reminiscent of abandoned colonies.
Through these techniques, I seek to explore the tension between fragility and resilience, as well as the idea of transformation and adaptation.
My interest in paper is almost scientific, experimental, and always cohesive, leading my artistic practice to a multifaceted dimension according to which each and every series is created. I build three-dimensional pieces that develop between vertical space and among multi-dimensional artifacts.
My preparative and investigative process re-locates the media of paper as no longer being used and perceived as part of the realization process nor vessel of support but rather as the protagonist that enables self-sufficient ecosystems and site-specific installations to take form.
Ingenious in creating shapes and accumulations of elements, building vibrant textures and volumes, I enable my pieces to be perceived on a poetic and multilayered level, as if each one of them would be a tale in a tale. My pieces suggest an intricate story that develops to and through an alternate perception of the matter and its forms.
Through my work, I hope to inspire others to embrace the journey of transformation and discovery that lies within us all. Art is a way of grappling with reality and exploring the unknown, and I am constantly seeking to push beyond my own boundaries and discover new ways of seeing and experiencing the world.
Past shows
September 2023 Self topography, Atelier Mitte, Berlin.
June 2023 Campidarte, Sardinia
May 2022 Pereh gallery, north Israel.
January 2022 Cycles, Gal Gaon gallery, Tel aviv.
October 2021 Fresh paint art fair, Tel Aviv.
August 2021 Paper Positions, Art week Berlin.
May 2021 Haus des Papiers, - Permanent exhibition
May 2021 Colonies- solo exhibition, Framed Berlin.
March 2021 White on white, group show, Gal Gaon collection, Tel Aviv.
September 2020 Paper Positions, Art week Berlin.
2017 - 2021 Gal Gaon Gallery - Permanent exhibition
March 2016 Gershteine Gallery, Tel Aviv - group show
February 2015 Marc Schmidt Gallery, “Cocoonism”- solo show
2007 - 2015 Gallery Rujine, Tel Aviv - Permanent exhibition
September 2008 Hankin Gallery, Holon- Piano,self installation, solo show.
2006 - 2011 Kastiel, Tel aviv
2002 - 2110 Primitive, Tel aviv