Amir Viskin
Surfaces / Abstraction
I use abstraction as a means to move beyond a conventional representation of mundane landscapes. Boston – its buildings and streets and the natural preserves nearby -provides me with endless opportunities to engage in visual conversations with the interplay of light, form, texture and color. The surfaces of my exploration include granite, concrete, metal, glass, water and wood, materials than can be hard or soft, rough or smooth, permanent or ephemeral. Seasons, weather and time of day all transform their appearance. Sometimes these surfaces reflect and become a mirror to Boston’s buildings, and other times they become a canvas for the intersection of planes, lines and blocks of color.
Abstracting the city frees me to see the environment in which I live and work in a fresh way, and make it an ongoing source of inspiration.
Artist Bio
Amir Viskin was born on a communal farm in Israel, grew up in Mexico City, and returned to Israel as a young adult, where he completed his degree in Architecture and Urban Planning – from the Israel Institute of Technology. He was introduced to the joys of photography as a teenager by his father, who was a movie producer. His family travelled extensively, and cameras were always present. He is fluent in Spanish and Hebrew.
After practicing architecture in Israel for several years, Viskin emigrated to the US in 1989. While his day to day work has taken him away from architecture, photography continues to be his primary creative outlet.
Travel is a catalyst for Viskin’s work. In his words, “Travel enriches us and opens our mind and our senses to a multitude of landscapes, peoples and cultures”. It has also encouraged him to explore the themes of home and place in his photographs. Viskin is inspired by the interplay of shapes, color, abstraction and composition, as well as the potential of photography to expose the beauty of natural and human-made landscapes. His photographs convey a sense of wonder and optimism. Viskin has studied photography as part of Atelier 29 at the Griffin Museum of Photography, and he has shown his work in several group and juried shows at venues including the Lexington, Concord, and Watertown MA public libraries, and the Jewish Art Collaborative. His work is held in several private collections.
Shows
2007 – Lexington, MA Public Library (juried) – Urban Landscapes
2008 – Concord, MA Public Library (juried) -Collected Travels
2009 – Watertown Public Library – Watertown, MA
2014 -Congregation Kerem Shalom -Concord, MA
2016 -Emerson Hospital -Concord, MA – Light
2017 -Reasons To Be Cheerful, Concord, MA – Near and Far
2018 -Jewish Art Collaborative -Selections from the Old Burial Ground Collection
2018 – Member Show -Griffin Museum of Photography
Contact Amir Viskin