IFROSA: Thank you for granting us this interview. It is important to hear what you, the painter, have to say about yourself and your place within the tradition of Israeli painting.

Roee Suffin:
There is no one tradition or ideology of Israeli painting: we should speak rather of a rich, complex, multi-lateral historical evolution.
In terms of my own work, I usually comment on social mores and fashionable trends and on the way they impact on various aesthetics. I do not adhere to a single style or technique.
I am interested in appearances in general and, as a result, I use different techniques and different styles according to the needs of the moment.
My work is not limited to a single subject or idea, but is diverse, and often deals with different issues at one time, combining a number of elements to create one unified notion.
I move around social issues. I tend to criticize aesthetic forms and, through this, I comment on social situations and the individual, psychological states that reside within these situations. Aesthetic forms or styles possess a content of ideology, values and beliefs which function in society and are present in commonplace representations. So, I use diverse styles and techniques and jump from one to another, depending on the subject I am dealing with and the aesthetic form and content I am exploring.

IFROSA: What was your artistic background and development?

Roee Suffrin:
I first began, as a child, to depict animals and habitats in a scientific manner. At a later stage, as a sub-cultural activity, I began producing images in a romantic-idealistic-pre-Renaissance style. I feel that these works expressed strong social criticism and preference for spiritual over daily material life. These notions, which were based on dark, poetic, philosophical tendencies, were still part of my world when, at 19, I began my studies at Bezalel Academy of Art.
As an independent artist studying in an Academy, I struggled with the ruling order of the Academy, and my work still reflects this theme of struggle against the social order of the day.

IFROSA: What is a theoretical statement, and is it possible for an artist to define himself in this way?

Roee Suffrin:
It is important for an artist to have a statement of beliefs, intellectual or otherwise.

Here is a part of my statement:
“Art, with its non-existing borders, makes it possible to use everything. You can put everything into one object….. which is like a letter that has to reach its addressee (1, cf Lacan). Someone will get it in the end. It is a form of suspended message-object. When something engages and invites you to make something with it (explore it, understand it, joke about it, comment on it, imitate it, mix it with other things...) you don't have to write a report about your work - immediate communication is embedded in the action/object resulting from the process.

I refer to culture as a linguistic arrangement, a vocabulary of terms, a language I can draw elements from. I take well-known, archetypal forms and combine or interpret them, with the intention of conveying a complex, but clear, idea about the way I see these things. Or perhaps a notion, an atmosphere.

I do not use any single technique but usually favor traditional mediums (painting and crafts); and I try to hitch the technique to the message/concept. If I want to converse about technology, I will definitely use montage (assembly of ready-made parts) in the process. For example, in my "Replace Your TV with a Painting" series, I create a composition of ready-made, prepared elements in order to discuss technological, psychological influences. If I want to refer to contemporary economic modes in art, I may choose a contemporary style and use imagery from a shopping mall. If I want to talk about the atmosphere of an art school I am exhibiting in, I will use materials from that location (see my “Artskool” installation work, from my final exhibition).

My art also has another side – spiritual or even religious. I come from a Jewish background (more or less secular but still Jewish). It could be that deep strains of Judaism find their way in my work. The rejection of materiality and everyday-life, which comes from a religious-Jewish realm, and is also close to the Gnostic/Christian outlook, is something that may be very essential to me and find a lot of expression in my work.

But like many up-to-date creators, I also "sin" in my attraction to materiality:
plastic looks, glamour, artificiality, and the fashionable, which may be critical or authentic. Complex personalities can contain many facets that may seem contradictory.”

IFROSA: Can you tell us how you see yourself within Israeli art? Perhaps through the artists and schools you admire?

Roee Suffrin:
I like a lot the conceptual art of the 70’s, artists such as Moti Mizrahi and Gideon Gechtman and art from the 90’s, artists such as Ohad Meromi and Guy Ben Ner who were my teachers. But, I prefer artists whom I feel are individual and innovative, such as Mordechai Ardon and contemporary artist Zvi Goldstein. Personally, I try not to relate to any group or stream, in order to maintain my independence and my own personality. I do not want to be like those who imitate and follow trends, or those who create a form of local art based on temporary political or social processes. Even though, I know I have something of both.

IFROSA: What is your reaction to the many positive responses we have received from professional critics, artists, and readers across the world since your work became internationally known ? IFROSA’s visitors book is testimony to this.

Roee Suffrin:
I was surprised both by the large number and vigor of the responses I received over the last two years. Prior to this, I did not realize that art can evoke such strong reactions and such positive emotions.

IFROSA: Did you receive good responses when you were an art student?

Roee Suffrin: I did receive good reviews but nothing like those I have received recently. This is because art teachers cannot allow themselves to praise their students in this way.

IFROSA: Has the positive response on the part of the public influenced the development of your work?

Roee Suffrin:
Positive responses greatly increase the feelings of value an artist has towards his work. I am trying now to plunge deeper into the true meaning of my work, and be true to myself – because I now know that my art can be of influence and importance. At the concrete level, I can see that the results of my efforts are more professional and, if I can permit myself to say so with modesty, more impressive.
The important thing is to reveal the best of everything.

IFROSA: People who see your paintings, often ask the same question: what is the inner source of this painter who produces paintings of such force and such varied themes?
We therefore ask you this loaded question: what are your inner sources?

Roee Suffrin:
I cannot map the totality of my sources….but I can say that an inner force impels me to express myself through materials that are nuanced and accurate in what they communicate. I have a desire to know ‘form’ and, through it, to express my deep connection to the world. I want to express something acute and thought-provoking. And I have a need to feel through the creative process and re-experience whatever magnetized me in the first place.

IFROSA: In what way are Persian sources and culture reflected in your work ?
I elaborate. When spectators see your works on the site or in an exhibition, or in the Jerusalem gallery where more than 20 new works are displayed, they have the following reaction: they feel that, even though the subject matter varies greatly, from a war scene to children’s games, modern work room, sketches of women, Torah study, etc., all your works have a similar quality – like a gentle, moving strain which passes from one to the other and to the spectator. This is the particular charm of your work: it touches the heart, rebounds back, like a spring, and touches us again. It touches inner depths which are musical, emotional, overwhelming, tender, interrogating, like the current of a river which can be calm or turbulent, but is always the same. It is a non-destructive life which wins over war, evil and the doubts of modern times, which are also present in your work. This awakens in us, the spectators, a sort of special “flexibility” which is present in all existence and reveals itself like the perpetual life of inner and outer creation.
This is very evident in the reactions of the public and of critics.

This experience is similar to that evoked by Persian poetry, such as: Rumi’s Mathnawi, particularly the introduction which, from a simple flute, encompasses desire, heartache, loss, and infinite love; Hafez’ magnificent Divan; Saadi’s Golestan where the simplicities of life become blessings, praise and gratitude. We have the impression, in these works, of witnessing the intimate dialogue between the Jewish Queen Esther and the King of the kings of Persia, a dialogue which has never been repeated between Israel and another nation. Do you feel connected to these ancient traditions which are still alive today in Iranian culture and known to every Iranian child and adult, you whose maternal branch recently returned to Israel, where you were born?

Roee Suffrin:
I would not be quick in adhering to one culture or notion, but yes I do feel connected. The multiplicity of details, elements and subjects in my work, which reflects a need to articulate something that is all-encompassing, must have a Persian source. The attempt to grasp the world and its components, to show all sides and perspectives, even those faraway in the universe...
The crowding of the expanse of the canvas actually comes from a desire to add more and more dimensions and convey something total, comprehensive and deep (maybe even existential truths and inner purification…. through the amalgamation of many things together).

There is also my penchant for ornamentation and the parallel, complementary arrangement of objects on a canvas. Each object stands on its own, but a complex inter-relationship is created in the overall composition.

IFROSA : What is the Jewish element in your inspiration and works ?

Roee Suffrin:
My need to experience things as they are, in their true nakedness and glory is probably deeply connected to my Jewishness. As is my desire to point to an object, to describe it as it is, and acknowledge the totality of its existence – just as it appears to us in the depth of the night, when the cultural prism through which we view things in daylight is no longer valid. It may also explain my need to map cultural constellations, identify personal motives and position the individual within society. Since time immemorial, Jews have sought to define and examine the state of the collective and to shed light on the role of the individual within the collective and his influence on the entire collective.

IFROSA: What is the Ashkenazi influence on your work?

Roee Suffrin:
I would like to blame my Ashkenazi side for my need to criticize and to judge, for my tendency to see the false within a specific reality and to react to this….and I can definitely say that it is the source of my tendency towards the fantastic, the dark and the legendary. In my works, there are obscure zones, which exude an atmosphere of mystery, and figures which have a Gothic or morbid allure. I believe this derives from German culture.
My attraction towards Modernism and its minimal aesthetics are also rooted in my Ashkenazi background. Modern human life is not always rich or pleasant, and my family experiences in recent decades certainly impacted on me and instilled in me the desire to engage in Modernism and deal with the experiences that accompany it.

IFROSA: Your work is characterized by a multiplicity of social situations and variety of techniques and yet it imparts a sense of unity. To what do you ascribe this?

Roee Suffrin:
Each work is treated with the same devotion. I try to recreate or repeat, in each work, a complex set of ideas (or mental structure). Maybe it is a repetition of the same thing, or maybe it is something similar with slight shifts. Thus, even if the external subject changes, the essence remains much the same and this must be the explanation for the sense of unity in my work.

IFROSA: How do you achieve this? Is it through the juxtaposition of themes or techniques, or do you connect elements of one painting with another, or within the same work?

Roee Suffrin:
I cannot say exactly how the unity is created from the different elements or themes. Juxtaposition is one way of connecting elements and creating a homogenous quality. But often it is the result of a process of deep contemplation, i.e. what will happen if I put in more of a certain visual element, what will happen if I reduce the emotion expressed…. I know that, during the process of working, a lot of shifts of mood and focus occur and all this is shown and felt in the result and somehow it all bonds together to form a whole.

IFROSA: How would you define this internal motion, which you undergo in the process of working on a painting?

Roee Suffrin:
I feel that it is a state of engagement with several issues, senses, thoughts and feelings. It could also be a personal openness towards several dimensions: listening, contemplating and expressing, all at the same time.

IFROSA: How do you define the end-result of this process?

Roee Suffrin:
There is a sense of multi-perceptiveness, like something that is diamond shaped, each work having many sides and meanings. Because of the multitude of subjects and techniques, the works are not one dimensional or determinate, but shifting. They can, therefore, connect easily to each other.

IFROSA: Are you ready to respond directly to readers who wish to have an interaction with you through this site?

Roee Suffrin:
What a question! Of course, I would be happy to respond openly to any questions, suggestions or ideas. Interaction is an important subject for an “activist” from the cultural world since it helps to construct and develop his art.

These issues are important to the many people who appreciate your paintings and wish to understand you. They are also important because they help us to understand the powerful bond that exists between ourselves and your work.
These questions and exchanges between us, the spectators and you, the painter, constitute the raison d’etre of our association – IFROSA.

NOTES FOR OUR READERS, FROM IFROSA:

1. Jacques Lacan, French psychoanalyst (1901-1981).
Regarding the “letter” referred to by Roee Suffrin, read: Jacques Lacan, “Le Seminaire sur la Lettre Volée, l’instance de la lettre dans l’inconscient (Seminar on the Stolen Letter, the instance of the letter in the unconscious,) Ecrits, Le Seuil, Paris 1966.
For Lacan, the letter is suspended of meaning, like meaning that is stolen. It represents the materiality of the signifier and cannot be divided.
On the change in the concept of the unconscious from Freud to Lacan, from meaning to a letter, see Laplanche and Leclaire, L’Inconscient, une etude psychoanalytique (The Unconscious: a Psychoanalytical Study). See also, L’Inconscient, (The Unconscious) Desclee de Brouwer, 1966.
According to Lacan, the unconscious is not a second, parallel language corresponding to the manifest language, but represents a chain of signifiers placed like a letter within the spaces offered by actual speech and the cogitation it informs (Lacan, Ecrits, page 799).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Lacan
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Lacan

See also The Stolen Letter by Edgar Allan Poe. In this short story, detective Auguste Dupin is told by G…, the prefect of the Paris police, that a letter of the highest importance has been stolen from the royal boudoir.
Link to the magnificent text, read in its entirety: http://www.archive.org/details/LaLettreVolee

2. Moti Mizrahi
He lives in Tel Aviv (born 1946). The work of Moti Mizrachi cannot be easily classified, for he is a painter, sculptor, photographer, video and performance artist. In "Blinking", Mizrachi digitally processed fifteen hundred photographs from the newspaper Ha’aretz, covering the beginning of the second Intifada in September 2000 to the attack on the World Trade Center twelve months later. He then printed the images on canvas, creating a semi-abstract work that suggests a high-speed scene viewed from a window. By compressing the harsh contents of a year's news photographs, the images become blurred, leaving us in a state of "blinking". The viewer can discern actual images only after intense scrutiny, and thereby confronts the numbing effect of the constant media barrage accorded to current events.

3. Gideon Gechtman
Gideon Gechtman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and moved to British mandate Palestine with his family in 1945. He studied at the Avni Institute of Art and Design (1961-1962), Hammersmith College of Art (1968-1971), Ealing School of Art, and Tel Aviv University (1975-1976).

After returning to Israel from London with his future wife, singer/actress Bat-Sheva Zeisler, he created minimalistic art that was typical of that period. These works "didactically demonstrate structural and figurative change in material and appearance." Gechtman taught at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem (1972-1975) and Beit Berl’s Art Teachers’ Training College (1971-2008).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gideon_Gechtman

4. Ohad Meromi
Born in Israel in 1967, Meromi currently lives and works in New York. Meromi graduated from Bezalel Academy in 1992 and went on to receive his MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts in 2003. In his videos, photographs, and structural installations, Meromi evokeds a utopian, modernist spirit and explores concepts of collaboration, improvisation, and community. He has presented solo exhibitions at the PS1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Israel Museum.
Meromi has received numerous scholarships and awards including from the I.C. Excellence Foundation, the Fund for Video and Experimental Film, and the Hadassa and Refael Klachkin award from the America Israel Cultural Foundation. He was recently granted the Foundation for Contemporary Arts 2008 Grants to Artists Award and was named winner of the Jasper Johns Young Artist Prize by the John King Foundation.

http://www.bezalelfriends.org/artists/artists-meromi.html

 

5. Guy Ben Ner
Ben-Ner was born in Ramat-Gan, Israel, in 1969. He received a Bachelor’s degree from HaMidrasha Art College in Ramat Hasharon in 1997 and a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University in 2003. Ben-Ner has exhibited internationally and in 2005 represented Israel at the Venice Biennial. The artist had had solo exhibitions at the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati [2005], Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv (2006); Center for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne (2006); Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (2007); and the National Gallery of Canada’s L'Espace Shawinigan (2008). Guy Ben-Ner’s work has also been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York [2004]; P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York (2005); Sculpture Projekte, Muenster (2007); and the Shanghai Biennale (2008); and was recently featured at the Liverpool Biennial (2008). In 2007 Ben-Ner was awarded a prestigious DAAD fellowship. The artist is represented by Postmasters Gallery, New York, and Konrad Fischer, Düsseldorf. He is currently a guest lecturer at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem. The artist lives and works in Tel Aviv

http://www.google.co.il/search?

6. Mordechai Ardon
July 13, 1896 – June 18, 1992), considered one of Israel's greatest painters. Ardon was born in Tuchów, Galicia (then Austria-Hungary, now Poland), and immigrated to British Mandate Palestine (later Israel) in 1933. One of his most famous creations are the Ardon Windows, a set of large stained-glass windows, incorporating visual elements from the Kabbalah, which are on prominent display at the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem,.
In 1963, Ardon was awarded the Israel Prize in painting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordecai_Ardon

7. Zvi Goldstein.
An Israeli conceptual sculptor, who was born in Cluj, Romania, in 1947. After studying at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem (1966-9) he completed his studies (1969-72) at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan. He returned to Israel in 1978, intent on splitting from the Western mainstream in order to develop an artistic language based on a strong, conceptual attitude and opposed to the, then, dominant trend towards figurative painting. This language was conceived as a parallel to textual expressions being formulated at the time in Italy. The relationship between object and text subsequently became more intricate, with the object becoming a syntactical language that transforms the text into an interpreter. Although containing deliberate echoes of Russian Constructivist structures, Goldstein's works are not characterized by a stylistic approach, but build on an exchange of conflicting and parallel ideas. In 1978, he began teaching at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Henceforth, he used metaphor in its most abstract sense, and proposed that artists on the periphery, outside Europe and the US, give new forms to geographical, social and artistic works. Goldstein defined the three main categories of his work in his Serial Constructions series (e.g. the installation Element F16-Second Version, metal and formica structures, 1987; Kassel, Documenta 8), Anomalies series, Third World and World 3: Anomalous Models (painted aluminum, wood and plexiglass, 1.50*0.60 m-3.00*1.50 m, 1987; Paris, Pompidou) and the Perfect Worlds/Possible Worlds series (e.g. Future, Utopia, Eschatology (painted aluminum, wood and plexiglass, l. 12 m, 1989; Dusseldorf, Stadt. Ksthalle). He has had solo exhibitions at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (1982), the Tel Aviv Museum of Art (1983), and the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris (1987).