Mati Elmaliach

Embroidery on archival inkjet print, 28 x 38 cm., 2016

Armed with the equipment needed for battle, the artist and his fellow tank crew turn their gaze to the camera. Like other young people his age in Israel, he served three years in the military.
In an age when a person's sexual identity manifests itself most intensely, one of his identities overtakes the other. In this work, he embroidered over his friends' portraits, focusing his gaze and ours to his own face. Surrounded by probably the most masculine of environments, the artist reexamines his gender identity.