Zohar Ron video art celebrating life and culture!

I don’t remember how I discovered the video art of Zohar Ron, but I vividly recall experiencing the “joie de vivre” the minute I clicked on this video. In fact, just about every time I watch this five minute video I’m taken over by the mesmerizing rhythmic tunes and playful imagery, as seen for example with the umbrella that puffs its way across the blue sky like a huge jellyfish in the sea and the tribal villagers boogie dancing across the hot dessert floor. The following segment is short but powerful. Here the viewer sees a figure in silhouette swaying before a soft beige background. This scene is quite hypnotizing, and may be interpreted as a moment of contemplation intended by the artist for the viewer.


These are the simple yet creative elements Ron utilizes in his works to convey the direct and compelling message that “life goes on” as natural cycles and cultural community prevail. You might detect by the masterful use of lighting as well as staging that Ron is a skilled film director/producer. You might also see with the natural images he captures of his African subjects that he is a talented photographer with a keen eye. Each frame in this video is well balanced, containing a harmonious blend of intricate square-like patterns and vibrant colors, from the men’s tribal attire to the body paints that decorate their bodies. In this way, Ron reveals the natural balance of life between people and land and underscores the rich and thriving African culture. Moreover, Ron is a painter, which furthermore contributes to the fact that each frame is so carefully arranged like the paints he meticulously applies to his canvases.

Ron’s work is thus far a culmination of his extensive travels to remote areas in Mongolia, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco and Scandinavia. Among a handful of the interests Ron explores in his work include the spirit, life, nature, people, animals, the dessert, God, and Islamic culture. At this point the viewer will have noticed the wide range of media effects Ron has artistically used to enhance each scene including dissolves, slow and fast motion, silhouette casting, and other editing techniques that add repetition and energy to each shot. When it comes to the body paint patterns that are projected behind the body, it is as thought Ron is suggesting that beauty is only skin deep and virtually abounding us everywhere in our natural environments. Ron’s Positive direction, commitment to excellence, and fine art are among the three mottos he lives by. Indeed, these attributes are exceptionally personified in Ron’s works which evoke a universal sense of life and spirit.

Ron’s website nicely summarizes the commercial as well as social aspects of his art work: As a director and set/lighting designer, he has created outdoor environmental productions, As a painter and photographic artist, he has crafted moments in time and space to capture feral beauty as well as gentle spirit, ancient archetype as well as contemporary viewpoints. Most importantly to Zohar, his work has helped to highlight the need for community service and charitable work (a promo film for Sakal Corporation on its initiatives to benefit children in need), and to bring reconciliation in a difficult world ("On The Way To Sulha" a film on peacemakers and the subject of Jewish-Arab cooperation in Israel).

For over 15 years, he has spearheaded the creation of first-class promotional videos (as a producer, director, editor and videographer) and print materials (as a photographer and art director/stylist). His diverse clientele has encompassed hotel chains, fashion designers, manufacturing and distribution companies, world music festivals and marketing enterprises, peacemaking events, and performing artists including Shlomo Artzi, Shalom Chanoch, Alma Zohar, Momi Levy, Subliminal, Diwan HaLev, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Sheva, and Heeyam.