belu-simion fainaru's rose of nothingness drips black water in art basel 2019

belu-simion fainaru’s ‘rose of nothingness’ – realized for the first time in 2015 at galeria plan b in berlin and exhibited the same year at the mak museum in vienna – was presented at art basel 2019. featuring an extensive yet shallow pool, drops of water fall gently from the top, creating a series of rhythmic ripples that interact with the calm, black water below.

all images © designboom

fainaru’s piece, brought to art basel by galeria plan b, relates to the poems of paul celan that deal with the kabbalah, a school of thought branching from judaism, and its concept of nothingness. the black dripping liquid represents black milk, which appears in celan’s poem ‘fugue of death’ as a recurring theme. celan’s poem reads, ’black milk of daybreak we drink at nightfall / we drink it at noon in the morning we drink it at night / we drink it and drink it.’

the artist’s work constructs on multiple layers of meaning that touch upon jewish-romanian history, text, and issues of identity and territory. fainaru addresses universal human themes in a deep and sensitive manner. like celan, the artist combines contrasts to create a rich symbolic reality derived from the past and the present, from the sacred and the profane, from the soul and the body

about belu-simion fainaru

born in 1959 in bucharest, romania, fainaru lives in haifa, israel and antwerp, belgium. fainaru also works as a curator. in 1993 he was the co-founder of the pyramid organization in haifa and in 2010 was one of the initiators and curators of ‘the mediterranean biennale’. in 2014 he founded the ‘free international art academy – fiaa’, together with the german curator hubertus wunschik.

project info:

representing gallery: galeria plan b

artist: belu-simion fainaru

project name: rose of nothingess

year: 2015

exhibition: art basel 2019