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Artist Etty Yaniv sets up one of the pieces of her collection, "Variable States of Suspension," at the WIU Art Gallery recently.
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Israeli Artist Exhibiting at WIU Art Gallery

August 20, 2014

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MACOMB, IL – Israeli-born artist Etty Yaniv is bringing her "Variable States of Suspension" exhibit to the Western Illinois University Art Gallery through Thursday, Sept. 25.

Yaniv, who now works in Brooklyn, NY, is showing a variety of woven paper pieces from her collection on the second floor of the gallery. The show also includes two collages of Yaniv's drawings.

The woven paper pieces, seven in all, are made of a variety of types of paper and include Yaniv's work in the form of photography, drawing and painting. Many of the paper items are torn into strips and woven together. Some of the more interesting pieces include unusual pieces of paper, including safety instructions from an airline flight.

"Many of the materials are based on formal installations and things in my studio, as well as things I have photographed in my neighborhood," Yaniv said. "They all have some type of personal connection, and they are all pieces I actually worked on, drew on, photographed or painted. I like to engage viewers to see all the detail and make them curious about what they find."

One of the larger pieces in the collection is titled "1509.9 Nautical Miles from the Karl Heine Kanal." The two-dimensional piece represents Yaniv's time as a three-month artist in residence in Leipzig, Germany.

"I was really impacted by the place," she said. "There were the canals and the layers of history; they were very visible in the city. I documented everything I saw along the way and weaved it together. But it's not just about the physical city, it's also the mental space and it represents my personal history."

The title of the piece represents the distance between the area of Germany Yaniv worked in and her native home in Israel.

Yaniv describes her work as a "push and pull" between two-dimensional and three-dimensional.

"I just want to create a new dimension, kind of an in-between," she said.

The collection includes a total of 28 pieces, including the woven work and the collages. For more information on Yaniv's work, visit ettyyanivstudio.com.

A closing reception for the exhibit, sponsored by William A. Thompson, will be held from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25 at the gallery. Yaniv will speak about her work at 5 p.m. Her visit is sponsored in part by a grant from WIU's Visiting Lectures Committee.

Yaniv will also speak to students in a WIU art appreciation class at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25 at the Art Gallery. The talk is open to the public.

"Our students are fortunate to be able to meet visiting artists as part of their overall education at WIU," said WIU Art Gallery Director Ann Marie Hayes-Hawkinson. "The gallery will exhibit work by four visiting artists this year, Yaniv, Thomas C. Jackson, Joseph Lappie and Ian F. Thomas."


For more information about other gallery shows or for gallery hours, visit wiu.edu/artgallery.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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