Catalogue Into the Labyrinth

Ron Amir's drawings and paintings appear monumental – due to their often impressive size, but also thanks to the apocalyptic scenes reminiscent of the dramatic paintings of Hieronymus Bosch and Géricault. Amir shows sinking cities and landscapes, with a leading role given to the suffering man. The art history associations are not random: sometimes Amir's work contains almost literal references to predecessors, ranging from a particular image element to a composition.

In his huge, crowded charcoal drawings the same motifs recur: people, animals, cars, books and interiors, all intertwined with each other. Amir sees the car as one of the most important symbols of our time. It represents mobility, personal pride, danger and joy. Amir himself is also a recurring part of his work, with or without brush. In ths way Amir expresses his uncertain vision of contemporary painting: while art from earlier centuries had to be something special, these days anything goes.