From then on, doves scare me, 2024

Oil on Canvas
150 × 140 cm

Ali Eyal’s distinctive painting technique is marked by intricate layers of brushstrokes and superimposed figures and text, creating compositions rich in depth and meaning. A recurring motif in his work is a dark head of hair, which serves as a vessel for fragmented memories. This element is deeply personal, recalling childhood moments when Eyal would run his fingers through his mother’s hair as she told him stories. Now, as a storyteller in his own right, Eyal integrates everyday objects into his paintings as symbols of memory and life, seamlessly blending characters with backgrounds that embody their recollections.

This particular composition is a self-portrait, in which Eyal revisits a childhood memory of accidentally stepping on and killing a dove. In the top right corner, a crow appears in flight, being fed peanuts by his friend and fellow artist David Horvitz.

This work was first presented in David Horvitz’s 7th Avenue Garden in Los Angeles.