Nature Science

EXPLODING BEAUTY: ORI GERSHT

White lily flowers explode in photo, entitled “Lilium Candidum D 01,” by Ori Gersht.

by Ori Gersht. “Lilium Candidum D 01.” Courtesy of Yancey Richardson.

The Armory Show is New York City’s premier art fair. It features some of the world’s most important 20th- and 21st-century art, represented by leading international galleries. This annual show has served as a nexus for the art world since its founding in 1994, where top collectors come to satisfy their passions.

Today, we present selected works by photographer Ori Gersht, represented by Yancey Richardson Gallery.

Check them out below.

Iris flower explodes in photo, entitled “Iris Atropurpurea 04B P,” by Ori Gersht.

by Ori Gersht. “Iris Atropurpurea 04B P.” Courtesy of Yancey Richardson.

There is beauty in destruction, just as there is beauty in creation, but we usually don’t see it as clearly or as regularly.

London-based Israeli artist, Ori Gersht, captures the defining moments of destruction in his stop motion photos. He explores the relationships between the natural beauty of flowers, landscapes and objets d’art, with history and memory.

White lily flowers explode in photo, entitled “Iris Atropurpurea D 01,” by Ori Gersht.

by Ori Gersht. “Iris Atropurpurea D 01.” Courtesy of Yancey Richardson.

Growing up in a country where war and conflict are either underway or real threats, with grandparents who survived the Holocaust, Gersht is especially sensitive to the impact of violence on beauty and the tensions that exist between them.

Gersht's imagery is extraordinary and beautiful. Using both artistry and technical acumen, he captures the moments when flowers, fruits, and other delicate objects are hit with a speeding bullet.

“Fragile Land,” Gersht’s most recent exhibition at the Yancey Richardson Gallery, is an ongoing project incorporating indigenous flowers of Israel, including Cyclamen, Iris Atropurpurea, and the Madonna Lily.

White ceramic vessels explode in photo, entitled “New Orders, Evertime 01,” by Ori Gersht.

by Ori Gersht. “New Orders, Evertime 01.” Courtesy of Yancey Richardson.

In the “New Orders, Evertime” series, Gersht creates still lifes in the style of artists such as Chardin, Zurbaran, and Morandi, and shoots them with bullets, capturing their exploding destruction.

White ceramic vessels explode in photo, entitled “New Orders, Evertime 07,” by Ori Gersht.

by Ori Gersht. “New Orders, Evertime 07.” Courtesy of Yancey Richardson.

Born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1967, Gersht earned his MFA in photography from the Royal College of Art in London. His works have been exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C.; Bass Museum of Art, Miami; the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, among many others.

White cyclamen blossoms explode in photo, entitled “Cyclamen D03,” by Ori Gersht.

by Ori Gersht. “Cyclamen D03.” Courtesy of Yancey Richardson.

See more works by Ori Gersht in Flowers Become Fireworks, and see more works at The Armory Show and the Edwynn Houk Gallery in New York, & Galerie Ron Mandos, in Amsterdam.

Cyclamen plant with white blossom and roots appears to fall through air in photo, entitled “Cyclamen 04P,” by Ori Gersht.

by Ori Gersht. “Cyclamen 04P.” Courtesy of Yancey Richardson.

Read more about Awesome Art all this week on BeautifulNow, including The Art of Time & Place, Moody Beauty, Stunning Surreal Opposites, and Spots of Genius. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.