By Yair Shulevitz (January 09, 2014)

Michal Bachi's new works emphasize the difficulty of defining and mapping her work. The almost automatic process of associating a work of art with a particular stream is difficult to apply in Bachi's case. The overall picture that emerges from viewing her paintings exposes the many years of construction of a personal, distinct and complex handwriting. Even if it is possible to identify links and influences from different streams, these are swallowed up in the work and function only as background.

The material itself, through the use of a variety of techniques, including ink, coal and in particular industrial paint, is an important component of the work.

Bachi manages to create a wonderful harmony between line, stain and composition, with the relationship between them always fascinating. However, her artistic language is not the core of her work, instead her paintings transcend beyond it. The language is a tool that serves and matches the mood Bachi conveys in her paintings.

Bachi's painting is free of mannerisms and fixed rules, each painting is a fresh new search. Her works all converge to a personal and existential dimension and touch the essence of human existence, when the tragic and the comic are intertwined. The drama Bachi creates in her paintings remains restrained. Despite her hints, things remain a secret and leave room for the viewer as well.


* The translation is a summary of the written text in Hebrew