JOEL AMIT
Joel Amit was born and currently lives in Jerusalem, Israel. He begins each wall sculpture with a detailed rendering of his idea, mapping out a blueprint of the composition. Each metal component is cut from either stainless steel or scrap metal, painted by hand, then welded onto individual spokes before being placed onto the piano board at deliberate positions. As he carefully layers butterflies, birds, fish, and stars, he juxtaposes the unforgiving industrial steel against the delicate nature of the shapes he cuts them into.
Amit has exhibited in Israel and the United States, with public and private collections in over a dozen countries. He has been commissioned by major companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield of California and public installations at the Qianhai Railway Station in China, the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C., and the Holocaust Memorial in New York City.
Joel Amit Wave
Metal Wall Sculpture
47 x 71 in
120 x 180 cm
Joel Amit
Yin Yang | Blue and White
Metal Wall Sculpture
55 x 55 in
140 x 140 cm
Joel Amit
Galaxy of Birds | Blue Gradient Metal Wall Sculpture
47 x 71 in
120 x 180 cm
Joel Amit
Wave of Fish, 2023
Metal Wall Sculpture
47 x 71 in
120 x 180 cm
Joel Amit
Vertigo
Metal Wall Sculpture
59 x 59 in 150 x 150 cm
Joel Amit Wave
Metal Wall Sculpture
94 x 94 in
240 x 240 cm
Joel Amit Wave
Metal Wall Sculpture
59 x 59 inches
150 x 150 cm
Joel Amit Ocean Soar
Metal Wall Sculpture
23 x 71 in
60 x 180 cm
Joel Amit
Here Comes the Sun
Painted Metal Wall Sculpture
48 x 48 in
140 x 140 cm
Joel Amit
Full Sun (White)
Metal Wall Sculpture
23 x 23 in 60 x 60 cm
“Through the process of combining new technologies with the sensual processing of material in my work, the constructing units of both realities come to the foreground. On the on hand is the dialogue between the individual pixel and the broader images, and on the other, the emergence of the material from the “screen”. and the play of light, shadow and color. My hope is that we will be humble enough to continue exploring the frontiers of our abilities, without losing our roots in nature.”
Joel Amit
Shooting Star
95
71 in 240 x 180 cm
Painted Metal Wall Sculpture
x
Joel Amit
Flying Love - Black
Painted Metal Wall Sculpture
20 x 20 in
50 x 50 cm
Joel Amit
Here Comes the Sun
95 x 95 in 240 x 240 cm
Painted Metal Wall Sculpture
Joel Amit Moon
Metal Wall Sculpture
59 x 59 in
150 x 150 cm
ARTIST STATEMENT
Joel Amit’s work focuses on the ‘Power of Many’. It constantly pursues the sense of wonder in visualizing numerous objects that are organized in a random, yet correlated pattern. By manipulating layout and density in a 3D space, Amit seeks to achieve a sense of movement and imagined 4th dimension of time.
Amit draws his inspiration from graceful movements found in nature; he examines the effect of their deconstruction through the filter of computerized and pixelated media.
While observing a flock of birds moving across the sky, the larger the flock, the greater the impression it makes on the observer. In Amit’s artwork, the ‘effect of the many’ is twofold: in addition to the visceral awe experienced from observing something abundant, the sense of wonder is also drawn from the evident hard work and diligence required in order to produce such great quantities. This direct correlation between repetitive work and effect offers a relevant message in our current world, where things are expected to happen ‘instantly’, with the press of a button.
Joel Amit
L O V E - white
Hand Painted Metal Wall Sculpture
40 x 40 in 100 x 100 cm
Joel Amit Wave
Metal Wall Sculpture
66 x 83 in
170 x 210 cm
Joel Amit Circle of Life (Butterfly)
Painted Metal Wall Sculpture
23 x 23 in
60 x 60 cm
Joel Amit Moon
40 x 40 in 100 x 100 cm
Metal Wall Sculpture
Joel Amit, born in Jerusalem in 1982, resides in his homeland where he is noted as both a designer and an artist.
After his military service, Amit had left for the Negev desert to join the pioneer Ayalim Association, which was building new student and artist villages in the periphery. During this time, Amit completed a B.A. in psychology and was on the course of continuing to further studies and practice in rehabilitation neuropsychology. However, his engagement with the creative and technical process of planning and building villages had affected him deeply and he had decided to change course, and begin architecture studies at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.
Parallel to his studies, Amit had begun creating art from laser-cut metal, and by the time he graduated his B.Arch. in 2016, he had already gained international recognition for his art.
Amit works mostly with laser-cut metal, creating domestic-scale wall sculptures, as well as large-scale public installations. Infuenced by nature and its coexistence with the computerized world, Amit developed his way of representing the beauty and spontaneity of life in a way relevant to digital, plastic, age. Each vibrantly painted metal piece is strategically set in a different plane and becomes a pat in the rhythmical energy of the work in its whole.
Amit fnds an intriguing contrast in the process of forming heavy, cold steel into graceful, fowing works of art. A contrast that is “liberating” and exciting. In his words, he is “always in search for an extra dimension, a hidden layer, and to challenge to the eye; and it is my sole wish to share it with others.” Today, his art is present in galleries and Museums on fve different continents and he continues to create for private as well as public spaces.
“Our world is encompassed in the beauty of nature - how am I to not be inspired by it?”
- Joel Amit
Joel Amit Circle of Life (Butterfly)
Painted Metal Wall Sculpture
23 x 23 in
60 x 60 cm
Joel Amit
63 x 83 in 160 x 210 cm
Love Birds Metal Wall Sculpture
Joel Amit
L O V E
40
40 in 100 x 100 cm
Metal Wall Sculpture
x
Joel Amit Circle of Life (Butterfly)
Metal Wall Sculpture 23 x 23 in 60 x 60 cm
Joel Amit
Flying Love (White with Black Butterfly)
Painted Metal Wall Sculpture
40 x 40 in
100 x 100 cm
PUBLISHED BOOKS
FLYING COLORS
JOEL AMIT
Hardcover
Publisher: Gefen Gallery
Dimensions: 12 x 12 inches
Pages: 172
Joel Amit
Moonlight Metal Wall Sculpture
47 x 70 in
120 x 180 cm
Joel Amit
L O V E
Hand Painted Metal Wall Sculpture
55 x 55 in 140 x 140 cm
Joel Amit
Vertigo (triptych)
Metal Wall Sculpture
118 x 79 in
300 x 200 cm
Joel Amit
Full Sun (Black)
Metal Wall Sculpture
23 x 23 in
60 x 60 cm
COMISSIONS
Joel Amit has been creating mesmerizing artworks for years. The power of his work is rooted in his technique, which allows him to create powerful art, immediately recognizable and iconic. Joel welcomes commission requests and is dedicated to the creative process together with the client.
The process of developing a commission work is highly individualized. In the design process elements such as color, size, and fragment shape are evaluated. Using a photo sent by the client, Amit is then able to prepare a simulation of the fnal work on the wall. Commissioning a piece can be a valuable addition to an art collection. Or a way to create a piece that matches the space it inhabits perfectly.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
(Ongoing) Jungle Rain, 3x3x5 meters, permanent art installation, Hanging Gardens of Bali, Indonesia.
(Ongoing) Generations, 15x7.5x1 meters, permanent art installation, The Jewish Center, Stockholm, Sweden.
(Ongoing) Life and Liberty, 10x5x5 meters and 13x13x5 meters, Two public art installations, Masada World Heritage site, Israel.
2020 Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting Memorial, 5x2.5 meters, permanent art installation, Parkland, FL.
2019 Blue Shield, 3x3 meters, permanent art installation, Blue Shield of California building, Oakland, CA.
2019 Infnisea, 11x3 meters, permanent art installation, Qianhai Metro Station, Shenzhen, China.
2018 El Espiral de la Esperanza, 15x5x5 meters, permanent art installation, MyT Museum, Mexico City.
2018 On Eagles’ Wings, 6x2 meters, permanent art installation, The Israeli Embassy, Washington DC.
2018 Jerusalem, 3.3x1.2 meters, permanent art installation, The Israeli Embassy, Washington DC.
2018 A Nation Overseas, 12x1 meters, permanent art installation, The Israeli Consulate, Toronto.
2017 Holocaust Memorial, 7x4 meters, permanent art installation, Bais Yehuda synagogue, Wesley Hills, NY.
2016 - 2019 Presidential Prize for Education, trophy design and production.
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
INFINISEA
Shenzhen, China.
To celebrate Israel’s 71st and the People’s Republic of China 70th birthdays, Canaan American Land United and Yumei International Gallery invited Joel Amit to create a public installation. The work resides in Shenzhen Railway Park Station in Qianhai district in Shenzhen, China.
For this occasion, Amit chose the symbol of infnity made by colorful fsh swimming towards the future with vitality and hope. This infnite energy emblems the “imagination, possibility, and the future” of Qianhai New Industrial district.
This work of Amit is currently the largest pixel artwork in the world and stretches to the size of 11x3 meters. The project was supported by the Israeli Consulate General in Guangzhou, and Mr. Li Enlun, Deputy Consul General of the Israeli Consulate General in Guangzhou.
MSD MEMORIAL
Florida, USA
On February 13th 2018, a shooting occurred at the Majory Stoneman Douglas High School located in Parkland Florida. During the tragedy 17 people have died. To commemorate the victims, on the eve of the two-year anniversary, Joel Amit was invited to design a memorial piece.
The MSD Eagles Nesher Memorial consists of 3,320 eagles representing every student who was affected by the shooting. These eagles form the shape of 17 Eagles, representing the 17 people that died in the shooting, that are soaring to heaven through a heart. The eagle is MSD’s mascot.
During the unveiling ceremony at the Michael and Betsy Brauser Chabad of Parkland Center for Jewish Life, 17 family members or special representatives of each victim placed an eagle that composes the work.
BLUE SHEILD HEADQUARTERS
Oakland, CA
Blue Shield of California is a non-proft mutual beneft corporation and health plan. It founded in 1939 by the California Medical Association and today serves 4.5 million health plan members and more than 65,000 physicians across the state.
In 2019, Amit traveled to the headquarters of the organization to recreate its logo in his distinctive technique. The 3x3 meters size logo, which took three days to contract, outlooks the main hall of the building and stands for the time and dedication Blue Shield workers invest in their work every day.
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
New York City, USA
“Using script from Holocaust survior and author Jean Améry’s book, “Beyond Guilt and Atonement”, I constructed a large installation for a wall within the Holocaust Memorial in New York City. The text reveals an ancient conundrum concerning Jewish identity.
‘We exist within a double identity, as victims and as saviors – a light unto the nations (or LaGoyim). The relationship between tragedy and heritage, between a persecuted people (Ha’Am HaNirdaf) and the people of the book (Am HaSefer), occurs, to some extent, in the space between memory and reality, or between yearning and being.
When this balance is maintained, the nation is nourished by the Jewish calendar, literature and culture. This allows us to live with a positive identity, letting the narrative of grief and trauma exist in our memory; it is something which is not experienced in the present but is that to which we share yearning and commitment.
However, on many occasions throughout our history the equilibrium is disturbed and the tides turn. Reality is drowned in calamity, and misery becomes the center of our being. Cultural richness is cast aside and instead becomes the object of our yearning.’
Améry’s observations describe how, at the end of the Second World War, the imbalance in our identity as Jews underwent a historic challenge. In the last seventy years we have worked intensely to restore the balance, to rebuild and to breathe a new life into our identity on the basis of our root values, tradi- tions, literature and culture.”
-Joel Amit
MEMORY & TOLERANCE MUSEUM
Mexico City, Mexico
In the fall of 2018, Joel Amit teamed up with architectural designer Ariel Armoni and created a massive art installation for the Museo Memoria y Tolerancia in Mexico City.
Very much in line with Amit’s own artistic voice, the museum promotes the importance of human rights and non-violence worldwide.
Amit’s installation, titled The Wishing Well, is created from hundreds of butterfies suspended from a skylight in a large chasm. Beneath the massive installation is a refective concrete foor which creates the illusion that each visitor is immersed in an infnite world of butterfies.
Above Left
Simulation plan for installation
Above Right
Detail image of installation looking up to the skylight at the top of the chasm
Left
A view inside the chasm where The Wishing Well is installed Mexico City, Mexico
EMBASSY OF ISRAEL
Washington D.C., USA
The Embassy of Israel in Washington D.C. is dedicated to promoting diplomatic relations, economic growth, and a long-lasting friendship between Israel and the United States of America. As such, Joel Amit’s installation aims to capture that sentiment.
Titled On Eagles Wings, the installation features Amit’s classic bird motifs on a background comprised of slate stone and colored wood insets.
23andMe
HEADQUARTERS
San Francisco, CA
23andMe is a company that offers genetic testing services directly to consumers. Founded in 2006, they provide DNA testing kits that analyze ancestry, health predispositions, and traits. Customers provide a saliva sample, and the company generates reports based on their genetic information. They also conduct genetic research and collaborate with pharmaceutical companies for personalized treatments.
In 2023, the artist Amit recreated the 23andMe logo using his unique artistic approach, which is currently displayed at the company's headquarters
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Above
Simulation plan for commission
Left
Final installation in offce Tel Aviv, Israel
Above Left/Right
Fleeting Soul installation at Melody Maker Hotel
Cancun, Mexico
Middle Right
Bugis Junction Towers
Singapore
Right
The Shenzhen Bay Club
Shenzhen, China
Above
Moonlight in client home Lisbon, Portugal
Left
Angel Wings in client home Dallas, TX
Left
Hotel Lobby
Munchen, Germany
Right
Infinity in offce lobby San Francisco, CA
Left
The Wave in client home
Auckland, New Zealand
Right Infinity in client home
San Francisco, CA
Left
Hamsa with birds installed directly into wall in client home Jerusalem, Israel
Right
The Wave in client home Madrid, Spain
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Melbourne, Australia
South Coogee, Australia
Heindonk, Belgium
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, China
Shenzhen, China
Zheijiang, China
Paris, France
Munchen, Germany
Pforzheim, Germany
Stuttgart, Germany Mumbai
Maharashtra, India
Jakarta, Indonesia
Haifa, Israel
Jerusalem, Israel
Tel Aviv, Israel
Noventa Vicentina, Italy
Tokyo, Japan
Cancun, Mexico
Nuevo Leon, Mexico
Oostvoorne, the Netherlands
Auckland, New Zealand
Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Tauranga, New Zealand
Makati, Philippines
Quezon City, Diliman, Philippines
Lisbon, Portugal Singapore
Alcobendas, Spain
Fuente Alamo de Murcia, Spain
Madrid, Spain
Basel, Switzerland
Chur, Switzerland
Thun, Switzerland
Taipei, Taiwan
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
London, United Kingdom
California, USA
Florida, USA
Georgia, USA
Illinois, USA
Indiana, USA
Kansas, USA
Maryland, USA
Massachusetts, USA
Minnesota, USA
New Jersey, USA
New York, USA
Oregon, USA
Pennsylvania, USA
Texas, USA
Left
Joel Amit and his assistant installing butterfies directly into wall
Right
Final installation in client home Los Angeles, CA
Above Left
Joel Amit installing birds directly into wall/Final installation in client home
Cape Cod, MA
Left
Bird installation directly onto wall in client home
Tel Aviv, Israel
Right
Bird installation directly onto wall in client home
Singapore
SOLO & GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019 Gefen Fine Art, San Francisco, CA, USA 2019 Gefen Gallery, Jerusalem, Israel
2019 Blue Gallery, Delray Beach, FL, USA 2019 Art Fair Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Art Market, San Francisco, CA, USA 2018 Sagamore Hotel, Miami, FL, USA
2018 Gefen Fine Art, San Francisco, CA, USA 2018 Gefen Gallery, Jerusalem, Israel
2018 Tribes Fine Art Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel 2018 Blue Gallery, Delray Beach, FL, USA
2018 Annual Pride Art Exhibition, Singapore 2018 Art Fair Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
2018 Art Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2017 New York Artexpo, New York City, NY, USA
2017 Art Palm Beach, Palm Beach, FL, USA
2017 Art Wynwood, Miami, FL, USA
2016 Affordable Art Fair, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2016 Blue Gallery, Delray Beach, FL, USA
2016 Bezalel Arts Fair, Jerusalem, Israel
2016 Art Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
2015 Survivors Initiative, Smile Design Gallery Art Auction 2014 Frieze New York, New York City, NY, USA
2013 Frieze Art Fair, London, United Kingdom
PRESS
Gefen Gallery is a leading contemporary art gallery based in San Francisco dedicated to curating a diverse collection of art from internationally acclaimed and emerging artists. We select artists revered for their high-quality work and tireless dedication to building their creative careers. Since its inception in 2017, we have worked diligently to build an excellent reputation by providing our clients with exceptional and individualized experiences. We ofer our clients a broad spectrum of styles to choose from, including paintings, sculptures, photography, optical, abstract, and contemporary artworks. Join us on our mission to connect you with the art that best compliments your lifestyle and specialized taste. We want to bring joy, happiness, and many smiles into your home and ofce. We are here to help you discover artwork that was made
just for you. 315 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA | 415-323-4080 | gefengallery.com
