Tsibi Geva's 'Substrata' exhibition at Albertz Benda Gallery explores pattern-based gestural abstraction

Tsibi Geva's exhibition 'Substrata' at Albertz Benda Gallery in New York City runs from January 9 to February 15, 2020. The show features pattern-based gestural abstractions that depart from his earlier figure-based works. Geva focuses on structural foundations observed in his surroundings, from terrazzo tiles to Mediterranean urban patterns. All paintings are untitled, executed primarily in acrylic on canvas in 2019, with one from 2018. A notable six-panel work combines rectangular and square elements to form a large square painting. Geva's approach emphasizes materiality over narrative, rejecting both formalist surface treatment and action painting traditions. His artistic development was shaped by growing up on Kibbutz Ein Shemer with an architect father, exposure to Bauhaus buildings in Israel, and observations of Palestinian vernacular architecture. This background led to his exploration of 'entropy' and irregular patterns with expressive content. During the 1980s and 1990s, his Keffiyeh scarf pattern paintings were perceived as semi-radical motifs. The current works balance entropic gestures with architectural construction, using earth tones with subtle primary colors and significant black elements. Geva describes himself as a thinking painter who remains conscious within the act of painting rather than relying on unconscious derivation.