Maayan Elyakim

Bronze cast, industrial paint, brass, ink-jet print, 160x20x3 cm., 2010 - 2014

I found myself standing in front of Maayan’s work, checking again and again whether the space behind me has changed. The framed photo in the upper part pf the statue is located on the viewer’s eye level. In locating it so, the artist has enabled a concentrated gaze into an infinite space.

This is a photo which, like M. C. Escher’s drawings, blurred the boundary between mirror image and spatial illusion. The outer edges of the photograph are framed by a perfect white circle laid on the head of a goddess. As I paced around the figure, I could feel myself participating in an ancient lunar ritual. When I stopped in front of her again, she seemed to be waiting for me to offer her a sacrifice or at the very least, bow before her in awe.