top of page

THERE ARE NO GIFTS
FROM GREEKS
WHO OFFER
A WOODEN HORSE

MARTIN VISOK

Martin Visok presented a site-specific sculptural installation in The Lab featuring a concrete architectural structure that deconstructed the iconic sculpture "Laocoön." The installation explored his ambivalent relationship as a young artist in the challenging Israeli art scene, raising questions of rejection and the desire for acceptance—issues that concern almost every young artist.

The installation examined the artist's relationship with the processes of acceptance in the local art field through two figures he extracted from the "Laocoön" sculpture: the serpent and Laocoön, the spiritual priest of Troy who warned the Trojans against the Greek invasion through the horse. On one hand, the serpent symbolized disappointment and failure, a cunning and disruptive creature in history, playing the role of noise-maker in the artist's mind. On the other hand, Laocoön represented heroism and disillusionment with political corruption, until the point where the story faded into the depths of history. The installation questioned whether the artist's fate mirrored that of Laocoön.

The installation was the result of painstakingly precise work, expressed through its gray materiality and Christian symbolism from the Middle Ages and Renaissance—elements rarely seen in the Israeli art landscape. Martin began by sculpting in clay, then created silicone molds from which he cast the concrete. He adhered to minimalism as both a conceptual and visual approach, embracing the "less is more" philosophy, even in socio-political contexts, as a desire to break free from the ills of capitalism that foster greed, corruption, and deceit.

MARTIN VISOK

MARTIN VISOK

LOCKED IN HISTORY

2024

Martin Visok presented a site-specific sculptural installation in The Lab featuring a concrete architectural structure that deconstructed the iconic sculpture "Laocoön." The installation explored his ambivalent relationship as a young artist in the challenging Israeli art scene, raising questions of rejection and the desire for acceptance—issues that concern almost every young artist.

The installation examined the artist's relationship with the processes of acceptance in the local art field through two figures he extracted from the "Laocoön" sculpture: the serpent and Laocoön, the spiritual priest of Troy who warned the Trojans against the Greek invasion through the horse. On one hand, the serpent symbolized disappointment and failure, a cunning and disruptive creature in history, playing the role of noise-maker in the artist's mind. On the other hand, Laocoön represented heroism and disillusionment with political corruption, until the point where the story faded into the depths of history. The installation questioned whether the artist's fate mirrored that of Laocoön.

The installation was the result of painstakingly precise work, expressed through its gray materiality and Christian symbolism from the Middle Ages and Renaissance—elements rarely seen in the Israeli art landscape. Martin began by sculpting in clay, then created silicone molds from which he cast the concrete. He adhered to minimalism as both a conceptual and visual approach, embracing the "less is more" philosophy, even in socio-political contexts, as a desire to break free from the ills of capitalism that foster greed, corruption, and deceit.

MARTIN VISOK

bottom of page