Jacob El Hanani employs micrography, an ancient art form in which tiny letters are used to create geometric and abstract designs. With these minuscule marks, El Hanani builds a pattern of cross-hatchings, basic shapes, and vertical or horizontal lines, taking as little as a few months or as long as a year to finish a drawing. In Jacob El Hanani, the artist explored the potential of his own signature as a creative motif by repeatedly writing his name in Hebrew, densely packing the surface of the composition with the cursive letters in a weavelike structure.
Gallery label from Against the Grain: Contemporary Art from the Edward R. Broida Collection, May 3–July 10, 2006.