Sun, Dial

A sundial is a man-made device that harnesses celestial bodies to estimate the movement of time. An imaginary line is stretched from the simple object to a distant planet to create an anchor, determine a measure, and achieve orientation in world orders. Maayan Elyakim's exhibition presents an array of estimates not only between heaven and earth, but also in relation to the history of human creation, to places, to locality as such, and even to the specific exhibition space in which it is staged.
Elyakim pinpoints the reincarnation of images and the circular movement of ancient beliefs and myths, which recur in human civilizations throughout history. He encapsulates all of these into a single moment of accumulated knowledge, in which they are condensed into simultaneity, revealed to the viewer in the blink of an eye.
One of the inherent fractures in Elyakim's art is to be found between the objectal existence of the work of art, usually on a small scale that endows it with the appearance of a precious artifact, and the task assigned to the object to serve as a means for observing and understanding the world; always positioned in space and in time, between then and now, and between heaven and earth. He creates a slowdown in the drift of high speed and drives a wedge of rarity in a world where craftsmanship is scarce.

--- Doron Rabina