"We spent almost two months at Xenia Creative Retreat from the end of October to mid-December 2024 - a time we will cherish forever.

I couldn't imagine a softer landing in the UK, arriving in such a calm land after the most challenging two years we have ever experienced of political unrest, demonstrations against 'Judicial Reform', the sorrowful days since October 7th, and ongoing war.

Even with the war in the background and a never-ending list of organisations and logistics, I started working on several paintings, produced around 50 ink drawings and created a new watercolour series comprising roughly 250 works.

We especially enjoyed walking in the fields, breathing the fresh English air with greys and greens all around, and greeting the cows, alpacas, rabbits, birds, and deer that dwell on the property.

We sincerely thank the Xenia team for being so kind and welcoming and making us feel at home from the moment we arrived."

Born

1989,

Jerusalem,

Israel

About

Adam Leef began his artistic studies at age 15. He studied with painters Aram Gershuni, Ran Tenenbaum, and Guy Avital, as well as at the art departments of Haifa University and Shenkar College of Art and Design for limited periods.

Early in his practice, Adam realised that the surrounding world and local environment could provide him with the essentials for the development of new harmonies and means of expression. Along with his studio practice, he began working continuously 'En Plein Air' in the landscape facing the Mediterranean, studying and embracing the unique light, colours, and physicality through different projects and series he has created for over a decade. This research allowed him to engage with the fundamental pillars of painting and reflect these perceptions onto his studio practice.

Subject matters that occupy Adam's work include landscapes, portraits, the relationship between the painter, his studio, and the landscape, bathers, and mythology. He is inspired by the broad history of the visual arts and varied literary sources. Music also serves him as a significant source of inspiration in structure, movement within the painterly space, and the dynamics between the various elements within the work itself, corresponding and echoing one another while assembling a whole.

Adam works mostly on series on paper and individual paintings on linen/canvas. He has exhibited both solo and in group shows in Israel, Brazil, Italy, France, and England, collaborating with curators such as Prof. Micha Levin (former director and head curator of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art), Dr Ziva Jelin and Jenn Ellis. His works can be found in private collections in Israel, Europe, South America, and the United States.

Please visit www.adam-leef.com for more information.

About

Adam Leef began his artistic studies at age 15. He studied with painters Aram Gershuni, Ran Tenenbaum, and Guy Avital, as well as at the art departments of Haifa University and Shenkar College of Art and Design for limited periods.

Early in his practice, Adam realised that the surrounding world and local environment could provide him with the essentials for the development of new harmonies and means of expression. Along with his studio practice, he began working continuously 'En Plein Air' in the landscape facing the Mediterranean, studying and embracing the unique light, colours, and physicality through different projects and series he has created for over a decade. This research allowed him to engage with the fundamental pillars of painting and reflect these perceptions onto his studio practice.

Subject matters that occupy Adam's work include landscapes, portraits, the relationship between the painter, his studio, and the landscape, bathers, and mythology. He is inspired by the broad history of the visual arts and varied literary sources. Music also serves him as a significant source of inspiration in structure, movement within the painterly space, and the dynamics between the various elements within the work itself, corresponding and echoing one another while assembling a whole.

Adam works mostly on series on paper and individual paintings on linen/canvas. He has exhibited both solo and in group shows in Israel, Brazil, Italy, France, and England, collaborating with curators such as Prof. Micha Levin (former director and head curator of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art), Dr Ziva Jelin and Jenn Ellis. His works can be found in private collections in Israel, Europe, South America, and the United States.

Please visit www.adam-leef.com for more information.