NYAB Event - KLONE “Topography of a Daydream”

KLONE “Topography of a Daydream”

Garis & Hahn

This event has ended.

Garis & Hahn presents Topography of a Daydream, a two-story solo exhibition featuring a series of new sculptures, drawings, animations, and a site-specific mural by Tel Aviv-based artist, KLONE.

Topography of a Daydream is a visual allegory for diaspora and identity politics. KLONE explores his childhood memories of emigration from the Ukraine to Israel with the journey of mythical creatures through an artificial landscape. Each element of the exhibition is an iconography of local history and folklore represented across both Western and Eastern cultures.
The fox, the crow, and the black cat are recollections of daydreams that become the figures repeated throughout KLONE’s work. The fox, or kitsune, is often seen as employing a mystical and cunning ability to trick others, while alternate stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, and lovers. The crow, believed by some to be an omen of death, is also a mark of rebirth and rejuvenation—a small, black bird that historically cleaned up after battles and symbolized the renaissance after great tragedy. Even the black cat, understood in the West to foretell an ominous future, is a portent of good luck and fortune in other parts of the world.

Each character, although wrought with negative connotations in mainstream, contemporary culture, represents a trusted companion that has been a recurring entity in KLONE’s work since he was a teenager in the late 90s. As a child uprooted from the U.S.S.R., he disassociates himself from identifying as either Israeli or Ukrainian—yet, he admits to being somewhat tied to both. KLONE’s ambivalence towards self-identity, allows him to create and integrate fantasy worlds for himself and audiences in which to live—and more importantly, belong.

KLONE’s memories are reconstructed into imaginative spaces by trains of association drawn from the connection between objects, scenes, and images making Topography of a Daydream, similarly, an illustration in the archeology of daydreams. These imaginative realms traditionally seen as intimate, safe havens for children are revisited inside the exhibition. We see the characters come together in Topography of a Daydream guiding audiences through KLONE’s imaginative space, where memories appear to be motionless, but are simultaneously subject to the grip of the past and the call to the future.

This exhibition was made possible through the additional support of independent curator, Joey Lico, and The Office of Cultural Affairs at the Consulate General of Israel. 

KLONE, born in Harkov, Ukraine, currently lives and works in Tel Aviv, Israel. KLONE’s initial practice of tagging and graffiti were personal challenges to themes of diaspora. As a medium, it enabled him to capture the immediacy of his memories, while also allowing him a greater sense of experimentation and informality, reflecting the inherent fallibility of recollection. KLONE’s drawings and murals have appeared in galleries and museums throughout Europe, the Middle East, and the United States including: The Munich Museum in Munich; GO Gallery in Amsterdam; Project M5 in Berlin; The Israel Museum in Jerusalem; Carmichael Gallery in Los Angeles; and the Urban Angel Gallery in London.

Media

• Drawing
• Sculpture

ADVERTISE ON NYAB