The exhibition follows the development of the artist Reuven Kadim (b. 1929) in the past two decades. In the mid-1980s a profound turn occurred in the artist's work, which until then had been based on pure geometric abstraction. He began taking an interest in the art and architecture of the ancient cultures in the Mediterranean basin, and, following this, in Islamic art and architecture and in the method of patterns that is fundamental to them. Thus was born Kadim's east-west symbiosis, which integrates well with analogous processes taking place today in the global art world. Kadim has created a new artistic identity for himself, and in its framework he creates art that links the local, the regional, and the universal.
Ancient Structures
Already in the sixties Kadim made use of the golden section as a means for constructing his works. Through its use he discovered the metaphysical geometry of ancient temples in our region, and in the years 1985-1994 he devoted many works to this subject. On his journey to discover the secret of the proportions of these ancient temples, he found that there exists a common denominator that transcends the limits of the time, the place and the culture in which each of them was built.
Patterns
The art of the Islamic pattern, too, is based on universal mathematical and geometric elements, but its distinctiveness and beauty make possible a fascinating dialogue with the achievements of Western art and the creation of a symbiosis with them. To create this East-West symbiosis the artist needed new tools, and in 1995 Kadim began working with computer programs that enable him to develop various models of complex patterns. Since then he has stopped working with brush and canvas, and produces his works on the printer. Four groups of such works are on show in the exhibition, some of them created especially for the present display space.
The Pentagon
The pentagon embodies the properties of the golden section. It does not create a pattern that covers a continuous area, a property that makes it possible to follow the process of its growth. Rather, the pentagonal pattern visually exemplifies Fractal Theory, which was formulated in the 1980s, and which explains phenomena that had been considered chaotic until then. The patterns, as a rule, are based on the principle of infinity, and each one of Kadim's works is a detail derived from a scale of magnitudes that links the microcosmic with the macroscosmic. The monumental, multi-layered work Islamic Fractals 11, 1998-2004, which was completed this year, exemplifies the totality of these properties.
The Hexagon
The hexagon is the most natural form possessing six straight sides that are produced by means of equal divisions of the circumference of a circle, and for this reason was especially appropriate for the patterns used in Islamic architecture. Kadim's works demonstrate how geometric and organic forms that simultaneously collide and blend with one another can develop from the one hexagonal module. The work Bio-Hexagons, 2000-2002, is based on this principle which can be identified in many Islamic patterns, a principle that has been articulated in our times in the framework of Fractal Theory.
The Golden Rectangle
The golden rectangle is the only rectangle with the property that cutting a square from it produces a similar rectangle. By basing his work on these properties of the golden rectangle, Kadim invented a rectangular configuration that serves him as a basic cell in the development of his patterns. He contends with the logic of the golden rectangle, and by means of a dynamic symmetry creates surprising images that are very different from the pentagonal and hexagonal patterns.
The Golden Scale
The golden scale is a method of mathematical growth analogous to the golden section, and is also called the Fibonacci series. This is also the basis of the work Hovering Structure 2 , 1997-2003, which was created by means of a computer program, and it is doubtful whether it could have been designed without it. Like other works, it too attests to Kadim's affinity with architecture.
East - West
In his East-West symbiosis project, Kadim seeks to point to a number of connections: between the past and the present, between art and society, between art and science, between the individual and the universe. Kadim's symbiosis is still something of an artistic utopia, but it constitutes a model for conducting the global inter-cultural dialogue that is increasing in extent in today's world. Kadim's dialogue takes place here and now. He discusses the common roots of the cultures of the region, their originality, and the possibility of creating a distinctive symbiosis between them.