Tal Cohen (b. 1967, Jerusalem), a tour guide and a therapeutic gardener, began painting about five years ago, mainly with acrylic markers and gouache paints. The paintings, all of animals, are intended to awaken their magical world in the mind of the observer. Contact with animals has power, and not just as food. Behind the proximity to animals lie forces that can heal a person. Animals can enrich one’s world and relieve loneliness. In the modern world, wild animals are sometimes pushed away, due to the use of chemicals and the lack of open spaces. Domestic animals may subsist in industrial places and under substandard conditions.

The paintings on display give expression to the everyday hidden from most of us and mark a moment of pause and contemplation of what is essential. The paintings constitute a kind of gesture or gaze, and carry a quiet meaning, which allows for a moment of attention, or discovery, and disillusionment with the daily urban routine. They (the paintings) allow us to appreciate the beauty hidden in nature. The paintings capture beauty and meaning in an unexpected place, in an elusive moment, which encompasses an entire world.

Circle Gallery
2.12.26-30.12.26

Tal Cohen, Mouse, 2025, acrylic on canvas.
Tal Cohen, Giraffe, 2025, acrylic on canvas. 
Tal Cohen, Owl, 2025, acrylic on canvas.
Photos courtesy of the artist