11:11
Eleven-eleven is a number that recurs often for many. People recognize the numeral pattern as angel numbers or numbers with significant meanings. This number came up often for the artist, especially during his teen and young adult years.
11:11 is an exhibition ultimately about nostalgia. The artist Israel Solomon offers stories and scenarios from his childhood, not to alienate his stories but to find commonality with the audience. Moments of growing up, watching TV with family, and playing video games—memories many relate to, told in a way that welcomes shared experiences rather than setting them apart.
Israel has an individualistic style. His vibrant color palette and geometric shaping of the subjects are distinctively his own. However, his unique style, paired with this new collection of narrative work, truly makes this show his own. During your visit to this show, you'll notice 11:11 reoccurs throughout many of the paintings.
Along with his narrative work, Israel has leaned into figurative, more abstract work. He pushes the geometry in his work, producing these shapes as stand-alone cutout pieces.
This exhibition makes you feel like you've done or heard stories from someone else doing these things. Stories are the connector, and when the artist bears those stories, relives them, and shares them, the art truly comes alive. It's a beautiful thing to get to know someone.
This exhibition is complete with its stories. It's the moment of sitting in a circle with your family and friends, talking back and forth with stories that begin with "You remember when" and end with "That was a while ago." Everyone sits around, intertwining laughter with conversation. It's the collection of the good days growing up from awkward adolescence, told through the lens of reminiscence. It's an inviting body, asking the viewer if these scenes look familiar.
We at the Harrison Center invite you to experience these stories and tell your own. 11:11 can be viewed anytime in the Harrison Gallery from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the works can also be viewed and purchased on our online gallery.
