Zev Labinger  Between Heaven and Earth

Curator Ilan Beck

From ancient times, people have looked at the flight of birds, with mixed feelings of bewilderment, longing and envy. Humanity's dream to reach the heavens, as expressed in the story of the Tower of Babel, a tower whose top is in the sky, resulted in a deep admiration for birds. In many cultures, birds connect heaven and earth and represent the relationship between God and humanity. The birds symbolize freedom, soul, spirit, peace and nature itself. The angels are a type of hybrid human/bird with wings. The dove in the story of the flood heralds peace, redemption and loyalty, as does the crane in Asian cultures.

Zev’s love for birds began at a young age. Already as a child he began to draw them and later that love led him to work as an ecologist for the preservation of birds and to engage with them as an artist, both due to their special qualities and as a symbol and a metaphor. Zev is aware of the damage that humans inflict on the earth in general and to birds in particular, which led him to present birds in his paintings as icons of martyrdom. The icons are based on the saint as a victim who sacrificed himself for the common good, in favor of an idea, while the birds are the victims of humanity's destructive activity.

Zev often draws himself in his paintings; some are winged, some with feathers or birds, and thus he places himself within the world of birds. The paintings raise questions such as, what is our place in current events? What sacrifice is required of us? Are we ready to be the martyr and die for an idea? Are we doing everything we can for our loved ones? Do we sacrifice what is dear to us? Are we all stuck in a kind of victimhood?

Since October 7, we have been going through a particularly difficult period of violence, destruction, displacement and death, causing feelings of fear, helplessness, anger, sadness and uncertainty. Along with this and amidst all the chaos created, the migration of birds continues, and on the birding social networks there are reports of the movements of birds in the war zones in the south and north. As a response to the situation, and out of anxiety for the fate of people as well as nature and birds, Zev began to paint migrating birds within a landscape of explosions and smoke.

Wars cause great destruction to both humans and the environment, but the cycle in nature does not stop. Against the background of the bomb clouds, Zev confirms, through the migration of birds, the continued existence of nature. A paradox emerges from the works - although humans exist on Earth and are completely dependent on its resources, they do not see themselves as part of nature but rather its owner. Humanity behaves not as a partner but as a separate ruler, as if humanity lives in a parallel universe to nature. This is a hierarchical, divisive and isolating dynamic that is also reflected in sectoral and tribal behavior.

Zev's love for birds drives him to protect them, but today he realizes that the birds also take care of him. Separation from nature condemns the human race to great loneliness. The story of the Tower of Babel illustrates the human fear of losing control, which led to division, lack of communication, divide and conquer. Zev calls us to connect with nature, to feel a part of it, thus re-experiencing the sense of belonging, connection and unity that we lack so much.

Ilan Beck, June 2024, Kiryat Tivon

Details for each artwork can be found in the Gallery