New Barbizon

Zoya Cherkassky
Born in Kiev, Ukraine, 1979
Immigrated to Israel in 1991
Lives and works in Tel Aviv

Olga Kundina
Born in Yerevan, Armenia, 1965
Immigrated to Israel in 1991
Lives and works in Rosh Pina

Anna Lukashevsky
Born in Vilna, Lithuania, 1975
Immigrated to Israel in 1995
Lives and works in Haifa

Asia Lukin
Born in Leningrad, Russia, 1975
Immigrated to Israel in 1990
Lives and works in Jerusalem

Natalia Zourabova
Born in Moscow, Russia, 1975
Immigrated to Israel in 2004
Lives and works in Tel Aviv

The five members of the New Barbizon group all trained at art academies in the former Soviet Union, and later studied in Israel and in Europe.
Their diverse painterly practices evolved over time to painting from observation (with the exception of Olga Kundina, who followed this practice from the outset). Their return to traditional painting grew out of their disappointment with contemporary artistic strategies, which they view as subject to endless reflexivity, and out of their desire to understand and reflect reality.
The name New Barbizon alludes to the French Barbizon School active in the early 19th century, whose members abandoned the studio to paint from direct observation in nature. The members of the New Barbizon group similarly paint outdoors, while replacing nature with the Israeli urban sphere. They spend several hours at a time painting in the street while focusing on different figures and events, in an attempt to capture the spirit of the time through a painterly language compatible with the contemporary cityscape. The inclusion of this group in the exhibition reflects an important aspect of Judy Chicago's Dinner Party - the emphasis on artistic collaboration. In recent years, the phenomenon of artists groups that form in order to take action and collaborate on creative projects has become increasingly prevalent. Among the various groups active in Israel, New Barbizon is distinctly characterized as a group of five women who were all born in the former Soviet Union, and who share a clearly defined artistic agenda.