Jacob El Hanani was born in Casablanca, Morocco, but moved to Israel when he was 7 years old. This change of scenery influenced his art through the style and type of meaning that his art holds to him. One specific example being his piece Gaza that he created in 2001. initially it was created as a sense of expression, however he later realized it resembled the gauzes that he had seen while he was in the army in Israel.

This Gaza symbolized the time that he spent within the army while stationed at the West bank and how it was an everyday part of life to him at the time, however, it was not an intentional design.

His art not only displayed himself, but it also served as a means of expressing his culture and the beauty hidden in the people of Israel.

At first glance, you may only see it as a jumble of lines , but is not so. If one takes the time to truly observe this piece, there are hundreds of Hebrew letters scattered throughout. Deliberately, he presented the letters in order to convey the simplicity and beauty of his language.

Hanani does hide some things into his drawings, but the most hidden feature of all stands directly in front of you. These lines may seem only like lines, however the true nature of them derives from the line within itself. Within the lines are more lines, psalms(The Tehilim) and even calligraphy that is so tiny that a person simply passing by could miss it. This tradition pays homage yet again to Israel and the tradition of micrography that is used in Judaism to translate holy texts.

Within these lines there are hidden words and secrets that you should maybe go find out one day for yourself.

Another objective of Hanani’s is to show the beauty of his country without directly showing you a map or a photo of it.

This piece portrays the towns layout and hundreds of intricate details that build up his home.

Hanani’s art also combats the culture that we once had, which included the ” mine is bigger than yours” movement in the 70’s. His minimalist and tiny art created the illusion that it was a large piece when in reality it was made up of tiny cooperative parts that created something bigger than itself. It also was simply made of ink and paper, rather than any other material that could deter the eye from the beauty in simplicity.

His pieces created a sense of grandeur when it was built of minimalism.

Hanani’s pieces are meant specifically for him and his life, not for other and to make a statement on anything that is going wrong, but rather to show the beauty of the one thing he truly loves, which is ultimately his country. With all the forms of art he has created, the art has always been supported by his country. At a young age he went to Avni school of fine arts that those around him encouraged and even pushed him in a positive way, that many artists lack. His love and thankfulness to the home that loved him, truly shows throughout his art. As stated by Hanani, his art is the passage of time and the link between microscopic and the infinite.

As a closing remark, Hanani made and continues making his art, however, has also indulged in the making of figures. Who are those he simply sees.