Galerie Zadra

Michael Hafftka
The Observer & The Observed, 1986
oil on linen
78"x200" / 198 x 508 cm

Art code GZ/MH-2406-ObserverObserved

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Michael Hafftka
Deposition, 1987
oil on linen
78" X 200" / 198 x 508 cm

Art code GZ/MH-2748-Deposition

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Michael Hafftka
Last Wish, 1999
oil on linen
78"x124" / 198 x 315 cm

Art code GZ/MH-4053-LastWish

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Michael Hafftka
Memory, 2016
oil on linen
78" x 100" / 198 x 254 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5747-Memory

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Further Details

Memory, 2016 is an important work for understanding Hafftka’s philosophy of painting. Based on a recurring dream he had as a young child, the memory of it in later life was to bring him to a significant epiphany that changed his approach to painting:

"When I was a child before the age of 10, I had a recurring nightmare that woke me up in a cold sweat shivering with fear. The nightmare was that I was on a railroad handcar pumping relentlessly, going in all directions simultaneously at the speed of light and at any moment I would be completely obliterated. I never told my parents about the nightmare but every time it happened I was overwhelmed by it. Then one night I decided that I am not going to wake up, I am going to continue on the car and see what happens. The most astonishing thing happened, the experience turned to pleasure. In fact it was so desirable, I tried to recreate the feeling over and over again." - Hafftka.

On discovering a quote from Joseph Campbell’s Sukhavati: Place of Bliss: A Mythic Journey, Hafftka’s anxieties about painting were brought into sharp relief: the idea was that by switching a metaphorical fall into an unknown future into a voluntary act, hell becomes paradise. Applying that to painting, Hafftka realised that he had to abandon himself completely to the process of painting in order to succeed. This process of risking all then manifests itself in his works through an emotional intensity and technical energy which allow the full force of his vision to come to the fore. Hafftka’s nightmare in youth has become his art’s panacea.

Michael Hafftka
Rescue, 2017
acrylic on linen
85" x 108" / 216 x 274 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5964-Rescue

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Michael Hafftka
An Arm's Length Transaction, 2017
oil on linen
78" x 58" / 198 x 147 cm

Art code GZ/MH- 5857-ArmsLength

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Michael Hafftka
Maternal Instinct, 2018
watercolour, crayon & ink on paper
30" x 22" / 76 x 56 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5908-MaternalInstinct

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Michael Hafftka
Sharing, 2017
watercolour, crayon & ink on paper
30" x 22" / 76 x 56 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5901-Sharing

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Michael Hafftka
Overtones, 2017
watercolour, crayon & ink on paper
30" x 22" / 76 x 56 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5919-Overtones

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Michael Hafftka
Love, 2016
watercolour on handmade paper
26"x20" / 66 x 51 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5714-Love

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Michael Hafftka
Grip, 1984
oil on linen
78" X 62" / 198 x 157.5 cm

Art code GZ/MH-1496-Grip

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Michael Hafftka
Spare The Rod, 2017
oil on linen
16"x12" / 40.5 x 30.5 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5840-SpareTheRod

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Michael Hafftka
Age of Vice, 2017
oil on linen
60"x48" / 152 x 122 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5831-AgeofVice

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Michael Hafftka
A Hug, 2017
acrylic on linen
40"x30" / 101.5 x 76 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5833-AHug

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Michael Hafftka
Between The Eyes, 2017
parchment, watercolor, crayon & tacks on rubber
10"x10" / 25.5 x 25.5 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5844-BetweentheEyes

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Michael Hafftka
Excavation, 2016
oil on linen
60" x 48" / 152 x 122 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5752-Excavation

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Michael Hafftka
Into The Realm of The Invisible, 2017
watercolour, ink & crayon on paper
30"x22" / 76 x 56 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5863-IntotheRealm

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Michael Hafftka
Telepathy, 2015
watercolour on paper
22"x16" / 56 x 40.5 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5577-Telepathy

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Michael Hafftka
Secret, 2015
watercolour on paper
30"x22" / 76 x 56 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5671-Secret

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Michael Hafftka
Three, 2016
watercolour on handmade paper
26" x 20" / 66 x 51 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5738-Three

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Michael Hafftka
Self Portrait, 2016
watercolour on paper
30" x 22" / 76 x 56 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5782-SelfPortrait

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Michael Hafftka
Life Goes On, 2015
oil on linen
78"x58" / 198 x 147 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5711-LifeGoesOn

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Michael Hafftka
Ancestors, 2016
oil on linen
78" x 100" / 198 x 254 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5729-Ancestors

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Michael Hafftka
Big Brother, 2014
oil on linen
60"x48" / 152 x 122 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5400-BigBrother

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Michael Hafftka
Undercover, 2016
oil on linen
60" x 48" / 152 x 122 cm

Art code GZ/MH-5718-Undercover

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Michael Hafftka
Man & Elephant, 1997
oil on linen
78"x62" / 198 x 157.5 cm

Art code GZ/MH-3915-Man&Elephant

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Michael Hafftka
The Blessing, 1997
oil on linen
78"x62" / 198 x 157.5 cm

Art code GZ/MH-3929-TheBlessing

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Further Details

"And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the first-born. [Genesis37:36 The Hebrew Bible in English according to the JPS 1917 Edition]." From "Stories from the Bible" by Michael Hafftka, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-hafftka/stories-from-the-bible_b_4491233.html

In this biblical story, Israel traditionally should have placed his right hand on the head of the elder boy to bless him; instead, he deliberately blesses the younger boy, Ephraim. This painting represents the struggle that Hafftka sometimes has in treating his children equitably.