We met with Matan Ben-Tolila in his studio inside of Jerusalem’s The New Gallery.  There, he finds an escape within his paintings.  The images are vivid with powerful colors and high contrasts of dark and light tones.  The visually pleasing, but unreal quality is meant to represent the height of an illusion, the moment before it will all fall apart.  Ben-Tolila’s environment, the conflict between Israel and Palestine, inspires his approach to the canvas.

matanbentolila.com

jerusalembiennale.org