Afterimage

Life of the veil.(Perfect Intimacy, photo exhibition)

Afterimage

Publication Date: 01-NOV-06

Author: Tikhonova, Yulia

LILI ALMOG: PERFECT INTIMACY

ANDREA MEISLIN GALLERY

NEW YORK CITY

MAY 13-JUNE 30, 2006

Lili Almog's debut exhibition, "Perfect Intimacy," immediately evinces the artist's ability to capture the effervescent qualities of light, materiality, and composition, presenting a world charged with high spiritual devotion and a strong commitment to faith. In "Perfect Intimacy," the young, Israeli-born photographer explores the reclusive and intriguing world of the Carmelite sisterhood--an enclave for women who, as the title suggests, have attained an intimate closeness to the divine. The show begins with the video installation that reveals the nun's symbolic life in situ. Supported by eighteen C-print photographs of individual portraits and vignettes, this body of works continues Almog's exploration into the diverse facets of womanhood.

To gain personal experience of a cloistered life, Almog visited and lived in three Carmelite convents in Israel and America, where she was able to interact with the sisters who made a conscious decision to abandon the secular world to follow their devotion to God. This experience was energizing to the creative growth of the artist. By taking on the daring role of the "other" among the Carmelites, Almog became further aware of the shifting nature of being. Connections gradually evolved between Almog and the Carmelites, creating a situation that empowered the photographer to document the convent as a location for peace, commitment, and social order.

Placing herself within the context of various enclosed communities, Almog, in a previous project titled "Mogyoktang" (2005), visited a Korean spa located in New York City and photographed Korean women enjoying saunas and massages. What Almog discovered was that different generations of Asian communities uphold their values in a way that has virtually been lost among American families. The nudity of the bathers and shared spa activities prompt a communal feeling of emotional closeness.

In "Perfect Intimacy," Almog has effectively abandoned the slightly garish palette of her "Mogyoktang" series in favor of a more subdued and expressive choice of earthy colors. She has also chosen to work on a more intimate scale by bridging the gap between the audience and her subjects; thus bringing them together into a world removed from the trivial pragmatism of life.

An important part of the exhibition was a video installation in which a projection presents the interior of a convent peopled with Carmelites performing religious rituals and tending to domestic chores. The subtle soundtrack of distant bells and chanting that accompany the video adds another dimension to the ambience of the show, amplifying its religious overtones.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In addition to the video, the exhibition presented images of Carmelites in their domestic surroundings, including images from Almog's larger series, "Outdoor Portraits" (2004). In "Outdoor Portraits," the sisters, posed by the artist, are starkly outlined against the background of a monastery wall. The images are skillfully contrived and executed according to the conventions of formal portraiture. Almog manipulates the formal qualities of the figure and ground relationship by contrasting the weight of stationary bodies against the textured surface of the wall. The painterly quality of the image is amplified by the textured grain relief of the wall that, upon closer examination, resembles a heavily primed canvas.

Almog's Still Life (2005) seems to entrap light, following the tradition of the Dutch painters, who transformed a humble nature-morte into a ritual meal. Almog further celebrates such suffused illumination in her photograph By the Window (2005). The light is almost a scintilla as one of the sisters recounts a revelation of God entering the window as an embodiment of light. In a series of four smaller portraits, "Thinking of Him (2005)," Almog focuses more specifically on the personality of the sisters. The faces of the women express emotions of deep self-contemplation and "wholeness" while they are engrossed in prayer.

The exhibition offers an intimate view of the experiences of those dedicated to the restricted life of the veil--something that the majority of contemporary art viewers know little about. The present controversial revival of spirituality only rekindles general curiosity. The sisters appear to give away nothing about their administrative efficiency, business skills, or the social hierarchy in which they live. Given this limitation, Almog handles her medium and subject matter well, and her aptitude is undoubtedly leading her toward further exploration of her own mission in art.

YULIA TIKHONOVA is a freelance writer living in New York City.