Dani Karavan

The public commissioned monuments and environmental sculpture of Dani Karavan are rooted in the ancient culture and Mediterranean landscape of his Israeli homeland. Pervading his works is the theme of peace, the harmony of people with each other, as well as the harmony of civilization with nature. For his installations Karavan conceives an evocative fusion of sculpture, architecture, landscape, and city planning. Prior to selecting shapes and materials that resonate with their surroundings, Karavan conducts a patient, in-depth study of the site, taking account of its history and its natural and built forms. This book, the first monograph in English on the artist, brings together spectacular photographs of his most important murals, sculptures, and environmental installations with an interesting and poetic text by the eminent French art historian, Pierre Restany, who has closely followed Karavan's career. For "documenta 6" in Kassel, Germany, Karavan created the Environment Made of Natural Materials and Memories. Composed of white concrete, wood, trees, stone, and water, the Way of Light (1988) in Seoul's Olympic Park achieves a remarkable balance of urban and natural elements. His Negev Monument (1963-68), constructed of "concrete, desert acacias, and wind" in the barren and hilly desert near Beersheba, has become a sight of pilgrimage for the local people as well as for international art lovers. For the last twelve years he has been working on the design and implementation of a monumental, three-kilometer long project for the satellite town of Cergy-Pontoise outside of Paris.