The ten plagues

“…The images that Allon created for the Passover Haggadah and for passages from the Book of Genesis offer innovative visual interpretations of the texts. Over the years, these photographs, which are unique in terms of their scope and subject matter, became milestones in the history of Israeli photography. Allon staged them for the camera over time, creating semi-abstract images that are closely related to his intimate acquaintance with the theater. For this series, Allon constructed sets in the purest Jewish tradition, avoiding directly figurative illustrations and replacing them with a new visual idiom and modern symbols. The graphic elements that appear in his images alongside the Hebrew letters are basic geometric forms (a circle, square, and triangle) in basic colors, offering visual analogies for the four elements and colors. These forms are all endowed with Kabbalistic significance, based on Allon’s knowledge of the Kabbalah and his familiarity with its cryptic language…” “…His innovations in all areas, from commercial imagery to personal mystical projects, rely on the intentional construction of the components of the scene, which are then destroyed once the set-up has been recorded photographically. What remains is naturally a “visual memory” fixed in the final image that gives life and shape to abstract concepts. It must be noted that there is a considerable difference between his images and between Christian idols and eschatology…” “…The objects/shapes Allon uses in his still photographs are not readymade symbols but rather an adaptation of forms he uses to deconstruct the traditional texts and reconstruct them through his invented imagery. While observing these images, it would be tempting to define this act of staging as a “Theater of the Kabbalah” envisioned and interpreted by the artist…” Nissan Perez, 2022. (For the catalog of the exhibition)