Biography

 

 

 

French-Israeli sculptor Idan Zareski was born in Haifa, Israel.
Idan's journey is as unconventional as it is inspiring. Immersed in a tapestry of cultures from a young age, he has traveled and lived extensively throughout Africa, Europe, the United States, and Latin America. Fluent in several languages, including French, English, and Spanish, his diverse background enriches his artistic expression. At the age of 38, Idan made the life-changing decision to pursue his passion for sculpture.
 
Shortly after launching his Bigfoot Family series, Idan quickly gained international recognition for his monumental sculptures. Born of his passion for fostering cultural awareness and tolerance around the world, the Bigfoot Family has gained worldwide notoriety while promulgating its message of unity.
  • The artist manages to transcend mere visual appeal, encouraging a reevaluation of traditional ideals and inviting discourse on the authentic representation of identity. Through his unique artistic vision, he emphasizes the richness found in diversity, celebrating a multifaceted approach that resonates with depth and meaning. Amazingly, he never attended art school or any anatomy classes. His gift came to him as a need, an urge, that he couldn't resist.  Idan has a great talent for depicting emotions. His sculptures are touching and graceful. The artist manages to capture the moment in such a way as to make us feel naturally connected to his work.
     
    It is recognised that the human body has been shaped, formed and deformed over the centuries by countless sculptors, but Idan's innovative artistic expression has succeeded in reinventing it while preserving those powerful emotions that touch us. His works have been exhibited at major art fairs and public venues, as well as in numerous esteemed art collections and publications. Idan's monumental sculptures have found homes in cities around the globe, further establishing his presence in the art world.

  • "...When I’m at a loss for words, my hands take over. I’ve been blessed with an artist’s soul. From my childhood in Africa and through multiple pilgrimages around the world, my eyes have been nourished by images, which my hands now wish to reproduce. Memories of people from my past, sprinkled throughout my mind, are now my personal creations, born out of clay.

    These days I’m in the mood to play Creator, to shape this same earth to which I belong and to extract my vision of man, my experience and the beauty that surrounds me. I generally sculpt with a very lively emotion, almost in a trance, perspiration mixed with strong inspiration. At first, there is nothing but a confusing image, a mental sketch. But then, through contact with the Earth, with every beat of my thumb, the shape is born and my hands know; they have faith in what they create. Rapidly, the imprecise becomes precise and what was just a vague idea transforms. I believe in my hands; they have never betrayed me. I am always amazed at what they produce when I allow them to express themselves freely. No sketches; pure creation, instinctive, spontaneous.

     

    The topics that inspire me vary according to my mood. Sometimes fun and at others serious; it doesn’t really matter. What is fundamental is to extract and transmit this emotion that lives within me and later find it in the faces of the people who contemplate my sculptures...."

     

    "I'm always amazed by the fact that emotions can not only take shape, but be shared, without a word... in absolute silence."