Nir Hod Reflects on “The Life We Left Behind”

By Jade Guinard

On view at Kohn Gallery is the first West Coast solo exhibition of paintings and sculptures by New York-based artist Nir Hod. Hod is known for creating works—from figuration to abstraction—that have a deeper, fundamental meaning. “By telling the truth through beauty you get away with many things,” says the artist.

Made with chrome, the reflective works in “The Life We Left Behind” place the viewer within the painting. “The viewer’s reflection is mirrored back and they become part of the artwork. They position themselves in the painting and create their own distracted image, and the viewer metaphorically becomes the subject of the painting. In the age of social media, the idea and exploration of narcissism is ever more relevant.”

Hod’s sculpture, I will always wait for you even if you never come back (2020), addresses a similar theme in a different form, referencing today’s current events. As things become fragile and evolve into something different, Hod transforms the remains of what was into something new. These remnants from a social and emotional events, as well as the materials used, highlight the idea that life is a memory in constant motion.