Jan Tichy

About

Jan Tichy’s videos, installations, sculptures, drawings, and photographs revolve around the underlying narratives encapsulated by specific urban spaces and architectural archetypes. Trained in Tel Aviv as a photographer, he extends a photographic approach to a range of media allowing him to draw on the imaginary potential of light. Many of Tichy’s works are politically charged despite their formalist and abstract qualities.

For 1391, Tichy created an architectural paper model of a secret military base located in central Israel. 1391 is referred to as “Israel's Guantanamo,” a zone where basic rights under the Geneva conventions do not apply. Tichy's re-creation involves a thorough research of images and plans. Neither completely accurate nor imaginary, the 3D model evokes a potentially frightening presence, beautifully lit by a video projection that animates the model's shadow. On the walls, ink-jet prints reveal the flat plan of the model, inviting the viewers to playfully re-create their own.