Flora & Fauna: Zadok Ben-David

“We tend to forget that we are part of nature. We are all guests on our planet just like other creatures. Every year a great number of creatures become extinct forever due to our actions. I tried to include various aspects from the nature that surrounds us - animals, plants, and human beings. They are randomly mixed, creating a mosaic of nature.”  - Zadok Ben-David

Gow Langsford is thrilled to present Flora & Fauna, a selection of artworks by London-based artist Zadok Ben-David. Active since the late 1970s, Ben-David has exhibited in a broad range of international contexts where his work has met widespread acclaim. The intricately painted stainless steel artworks presented in Flora & Fauna provide a compelling view of the artist’s practice, showcasing the technical and conceptual finesse that has underpinned his global success. Flora & Fauna is Ben-David’s first solo exhibition in New Zealand. [1]

The themes explored in this exhibition are consistent with Ben-David’s output of recent years. He touches on the intertwined character of life and death, and the complex weave of fragility and resilience within the natural world. Writing on this recurrent theme in Ben-David’s work, Japanese curator Fumio Nanjo stated, “In nature, flowers also call to mind rebirth and the future, symbolising the passing of life to the next generation. […] Cherry trees in the same region tend to blossom in unison. They cover the mountains, colour the parks and adorn vases, signalling the coming of spring. But within a week, they wither and fall. […] Death is an inevitable natural occurrence. All things change, wither and die. Similarly, our achievements all fade with time and vanish. Only nature continually regenerates.” [2]

Ben-David can be sparing in the use of material, yet his artworks retain conceptual gravitas. Australian curator Felicity Fenner has stated, “The weightlessness of the individual forms within the work provides a pertinent counterpoint to the seriousness of Ben-David's intellectual premise.” [3] According to Fenner, the thorny conceptual matter he engages with is, “the discord between scientific research and technology-based progress, and anxiety over the capacity of the human race to adjust to an altered planet.” [4] This tension is beautifully expressed in his work – which utilises technological materials to give form to plants and animals, many of which are threatened by human activities.

Fenner notes that anthropogenic climate change has drastically increased the rate of species extinction. [5] It is the complex entwining of life on earth that this in turn poses a risk to human survival. She states, “The human species is just one of many facing eventual extinction as the natural environment is irreversibly damaged by the legacy of pollution-intensive industry since the 1700s.” [6] With this tension present, Ben-David’s work retains a sense of wonder at the diversity and regenerative capability of life. It is in this deft balancing of polarities that Flora & Fauna showcases the remarkable vision and talent of a distinguished international artist.

BIOGRAPHY

Zadok Ben-David (1949) is an award-winning artist based in London. He represented his country Israel at the Venice Biennale in 1988, and he has participated in numerous biennales worldwide including XXII Cerveira International Art Biennial, Portugal (2022), Breda Photo Biennial, Netherlands (2020), Krasnoyarsk Biennale, Russia (2019), Busan Biennale, South Korea (2010); Biennale Cuvee, Austria (2009); “Wonder” Singapore Biennale, Singapore (2008) and Sculptuur Biennale, Netherlands (2007). He has exhibited in many of the world’s leading art museums, including Kröller-Müller Museum, Holland (2023), Contemporary Art Museum Maebashi, Japan (2023), Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, London, United Kingdom (2021), The Centro de Arte Contemporânea Graça Morais, Portugal (2019), Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, France (2018), Guangdong Art Museum, China (2007), Singapore Museum of Art, Singapore (2003). Ben-David is the recipient of numerous awards including the Grande Biennial Prémio at the XIV Biennale Internacional de Arte de Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal (2007) and the Tel Aviv Museum Prize for Sculpture (2005). In 2008, he was commissioned by the Beijing Olympics to create a unique installation.