Haim Koren: A Journey of Creation
From Heavy Industry to Abstract Art
The First Chapter: 46 Years of Precision and Material
My professional life was divided into two main chapters. For 46 years, I worked at the heart of the rugged chemical industry. I specialized in manufacturing large storage vessels for chemicals, water, and powders—a world of thermoplastics, complex molds, and demanding engineering precision.
In the following 15 years, I pivoted to the academic and practical side of the field: consulting, supervising, and writing technical specifications. My entire career was defined by straight, parallel, and flat lines, where everything had to be predefined and exact.
The Turning Point: A Spark of Imagination
It was only after fulfilling my lifelong family and personal obligations that I suddenly "stumbled" into the art that had always been simmering within me. At the age of 72, it finally happened.
It began by pure chance. I watched a YouTube video of an elderly Italian artist creating works on simple cardboard. It struck me like lightning. I said to myself, "I can do this too." I went down to the street, found a large cardboard TV box, and brought it home with great excitement. In that moment, armed with simple acrylic paints and a construction putty knife, my "creative surge" began.
"For me, creation is a mirror of the soul; sometimes stable and final, and sometimes evolving and shifting until it finds its rest."
Artistic Style: Freedom Without Limits
My works, most of which were created throughout 2023, are abstract pieces combining acrylic and gouache. I enjoy experimenting with diverse surfaces:
- Canvas and plywood
- Cardboard and transparencies
- Ceramic tiles and plaster textures
Abstract painting allowed me to break free from the professional rigidity of my past. It opened a world of depth and three-dimensionality, free from constraints or the influence of others' opinions. For me, art is the power to touch others through emotional rather than verbal layers.
Today, when I pass by the walls where my works are displayed, I feel exposed. A part of me is right there, on the walls.