Reasonable art

The Supernormal Stimulus exhibition features the paintings and sculptures of multidisciplinary artist Yuval Barel.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
Yuval Barel painting 521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Yuval Barel painting 521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Curated by Zaks, the show will run through the first week of April. For the opening festivities of Supernormal Stimulus, the Vagabundas have enlisted the help of D.J. Bushbeats and opera singer Idit Zamir.
Barel’s works have been shown as part of group exhibitions in Israel and abroad, most notably in the Artishowk in Tel Aviv and the StripArt Festival in Barcelona.
“Supernormal stimulus” is a term used to describe the impulse that causes animals to respond more eagerly to artificial stimuli than to natural ones. For example, when presented with a large, man-made egg, the herring gull abandons her eggs to favor the fake ones. In Barel’s eyes, this theory can be applied easily to many human tendencies, such as the love of junk food or television.
In his vibrant and haunting pieces, Barel investigates the artifice intrinsic to the human condition. Using images of animals and people, he takes the idea to its extreme visual manifestation. Barel’s works, priced between NIS 150 and NIS 7,000, will be on sale throughout the duration of the exhibit. This is Barel’s first solo show.
Two days after the kick-off of Barel’s exhibition, The Container will open its doors to costumed clientele during the Adloyada feast.
Interested parties should call in advance, as this lavish event will certainly sell out. For NIS 220 per person, masked marauders will be treated to an open bar, delicacies and fresh rhythms to which they can dance away the calories.

Supernormal Stimulus kicks off on March 19 at 8 p.m. For more information about, visit www.thevagabundas.blogspot.com. For information about The Container, visit www.container.org.il.