A Fantasy Daydream

Ilana Eshel

81 Leonard Gallery Windows 
On view through November 12th, 2021

 

 

 

 

In the windows from left to right:

Tomorrow

2001

Acrylic and gouache on paper

22×30 inches, 25 ¾ x 34 ¼ inches with frame

 

The Visitors/Playful Apprentices

2001

Acrylic and gouache on paper

22×30 inches, 25 ¾ x 34 ¼ inches with frame

 

 

Ilana Eshel is an Israeli-American artist currently based in Israel. Eshel’s drawings and paintings explore the vast spaces of the imagination and the creatures that inhabit them, reflecting a deep curiosity for outer space and interplanetary civilization. Utilizing bright and fluorescent colors, Eshel crafts the architecture of imaginary environments and fills them with characters that are neither human beings nor spirits, but something yet to be understood or named. Their beauty, joy, and innocence suggest a vastly different experience from that of the human struggle marred with fear and unhappiness. In this way, Eshel’s work is optimistic about life beyond Earth. Using the Automatic Drawing technique characteristic of Surrealism, Eshel creates without forethought and allows characters to emerge from her subconscious. The resulting whimsical scenes ironically stand in stark contrast to her own personality and temperament. This is precisely where Eshel finds inspiration: in the “newness” outside of her comfort zone. In addition to her fascination with the unknown, Eshel also cites Walt Disney’s fictional worlds as a profound influence on her work. While presenting as something out of a daydream, Eshel’s work offers a hopeful alternative to reality and an unwritten story to ponder.

The works on display, made in 2001 in New York City, belong to a series that represents the artist’s need to change direction and communicate positivity during a difficult time in her personal life and in the wake of the horrific events of 9/11. These paintings also became the basis for Eshel’s entry into digital art, which she has been using for years to explore her interest in futurism and further develop her imaginary universes.

Eshel’s work gave her something she needed in 2001, which we once again yearn for 20 years later. Fantasy and whim bring distraction- not the kind that leaves us indifferent to the state of the world around us- but rather, the kind of blissful daydreams or getting lost in a good book.

 

Works by Ilana Eshel are available for purchase; please inquire via email.