Israeli artist Ronit Bigal meticulously presents excerpts from sacred Biblical texts on the human body in her Body Scripture II series. Like Allan Teger’s Bodyscapes, Bigal gets in close to the contours of the human form, re-imagining the body as an abstract landscape. On the grooved, fleshy expanse, the artist systematically applies black Indian ink calligraphy in Hebrew that reveals passages of scripture.
Bigal’s images lead the viewer’s gaze to wander all across the frame in an effort to comprehend which anatomical section they’re looking at. There is the additional puzzle of the writing on the figure that leads one to wonder its significance. The artist leaves it open to the public to determine whether there is a connection between the specific, extracted text and the chosen area of the body to display it on or if it’s simply an aesthetic choice. Either way, there is something very spiritual and simultaneously sensual about the works that compels the viewer to scan the human form.
