Artist bio

Daniel Gentelev was born in Russia and immigrated with his family to Israel in 1992. He received his B.F.A from Bezalel Academy for Fine Art and Design in Jerusalem (2012). Daniel works predominantly works with rangefinder and Hasselblad, medium format, cameras; his style depicts mostly traditional photographic processes. His work has been published in several magazines and group exhibitions around Europe and Israel.

Title

Artistic heritage of humanity in contemporary life

Medium/Genre

Photography

Artist Statement

My work derives from the transmission of a culture that represents the rhythm of human life. My work is inspired by mythological references connecting the symbolic, psychological and artistic heritage of humanity in contemporary life. I am interested in life through the aesthetic form of time and space and the main themes in my art are literary context and instantaneous reaction to both documentary and portraiture photography. I take the whole enrichment of the oriental understanding of transcendence and the māyā aspect of personality, how it’s all based on the mirror images of time and space, and my images are in an immediate relationship that is implicit in the occidental ideas moving into a global period of life.

How it fits into contest

The major turning point in my life was how the great scriptures of the world's religions could be understood as metaphors for psychological changes.
My training had been in comparative religion that showed the psychological dimensions of the great spiritual traditions and how the symbolism suggests personal spiritual integration.
With this practice I realize how comparative studies in religion help me deeply to understand the human experience and their deepest level reveal the path to self-fulfillment, social integration and transcendence.
As an artist it is essential for me to rise far above the realm of personal life and speak from the spirit and heart.
The experiences one undergoes are seen as initiatory adventures. It was this connection between the broad array of themes that I was reading and the emotional concerns of modern life that was considered distinctive identification with the universality of human experience across time and culture.

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