YONAT VAKS
Collections
My work is an investigation of the essence that connects us all. It is a search of how ancient narratives echo in our contemporary world.
* Through myths, symbols, metaphors, and the reinterpretation of archetypal stories— I tell my version of our modern life.
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* Through research, cultural artifacts and different mediums— I try to understand the human condition amidst rapid technological and societal changes.
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​This site features a selection of key works that demonstrate my research-driven artistic practice and my approach to bridging tradition with innovation, physical and digital, painting and sculpture, art and spirituality.
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The answer is always in the hidden dialog IN-Between
BITCOIN ART
Money is one of humanity's most transformative inventions, evolving from a simple medium of exchange into a powerful force that shapes social relationships and determines who holds power in society.
Bitcoin is a new form of money.
Some see it as a society altering revolution, while others see it as a scam.
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Like many technological solutions to age old problems, the story is usually greater than the technicalities of the new invention.
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WHEN PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL MERGE
Stories are at the core of our humanity.
We want them to live forever.
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Blockchain technology promises to enable our stories and thoughts to live forever.
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* What happens to a physical painting when it is turned into a digital artwork?
* What has more value? The original? The digital? Can they exist separately?
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This collection explores all of these ideas through ancient myths, animal metaphors, Pompeii and cryptography.
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What is forever?
Familiar Strangers
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If you pay close attention, a person’s face, eyes and expressions tend to tell a lot about them.
Can we get to know someone we´ve never met through their expression in a photo?
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This series is an emotional exploration of our unseen connection to other human beings.
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For several years I rummaged through old photos in any flea market I came across and bought the ones that somehow called me.
A photo is a moment in a person’s life.
Through painting that moment I connected with this person. Through the painting they “came back to life” and shared themselves with other people, the spectators, they’ve never met either.
Aren’t we all connected in some way?
Five Generations
This series is an exploration of five generations of women in my family.
Through old photos I found in my grandmother’s drawers and the stories she told me, I painted the lives of the women in my family that I’ve never met.
* How does their story connect to mine?
* How much of my beliefs about myself and the world have been passed down from them?
* How was each woman affected by the times and place she lived in?
* In an rapidly changing world, what connects us to past generations?
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This is the story of their lives and the untold history of women.
The Fabric of Life
The needle and thread are one of the most important inventions in history.
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The basic stitches of the earliest found embroidery remain the fundamental techniques used today.
This series is about bringing an art form that holds the memory of humanity into its proper place among the arts.
