Or Zubalsky

The hips are a witness who talks back.

A selection of around 150 images of the figure I've spent time with since 2024. It's never too late for an introduction.

A scene: two one eyed blobs (purple outline) and two speech bubbles (light orange) against a light coral textured background: “He did it” “I did it”

Layered oil pastel drawing of a figure rendered from just below shoulders to around the knees. Layers creating textures of color: yellows and oranges top, pink and oranges bottom, light greens and teals background and ground. Arms hiding behind the back, elbows protruding out. Faint forms are visible under t shirt area.

Rectangular painting in mostly blues. Pink lines add features that make it seem like the lower half of a cartoonish face with half a smile and stripy shirt. Thick textured outlines reveal traces and detail. There's also a yellowish smudge and three fingerprints.

A collection of pieces from the past couple of years.

A collection of pieces from the past couple of years.

Rectangular painting in mostly reds, with some detail in pink, brown, teal, and orange. Some forms are recognizable, such as two roughly centered flower shapes, an oval or ring or opening or hat or a part of a container or who knows. Details are covered and revealed in all sorts of textured ways.

Large eye-with-lashes like form is carved out in pale yellow at the center of a thick swirly background in light purples, pinks, oranges, teals, and reds. The swirl follows the narrow oval shape of the eye form, or the eye form follows the swirl. It can also be a microscopic bacteria or just a form.

Scene in thin purple-red lines and broader light orange marks. Person standing seen from behind against a horizon line with two large hills in a range. Clear hairline from ear to ear. Straight back. Slightly leaning back on straight left leg. Right leg and arms from elbow onwards are drawn in overlapping and slightly different shapes and directions. Orange texture frames the person in a way, adds some color to the hills, and continues to the sky.

Square painting with mostly pink on one side and mostly cream in the other. Teal separates some shapes from one another. Lines and smudges converge towards a point beyond where shapes meet.

A dark green large simple three dimensional box shape sits on top of a curved textured pink purple area. The visible face on the side is darker than the front face. The front side has a solid dark green rectangle in the center, meeting the ground. Dark green lines and dark pink lines move in / out between the opening and the right and bottom right edges of the page. Thin dark purple horizontal area sits above the scene.

Scene in mostly monochrome purple, rendered as if from slightly above and to the side. A figure with a relatively square head and two yellow outline flower eyes is seen reclining on a three dimensional form, feet up, holding a book that's drawn a couple of times over itself. There is a frame on a surface next to it with a drawing of a flower in red outline.

Thick layers of light blues cover the majority of the horizontal page, with some small holes and areas revealing a purple layer underneath. The layer leaves a textured purple red geometric form visible in the bottom right quadrant. It looks like a wide rectangular box with a triangle on top.

Vertical painting with a composition of rectangular forms creating a pseudo three dimensional space. Large vertical cyan rectangle reaches the center of the canvas and almost to the top. Running across the whole height on the right is a layered light pink. Covering the rest of the space between is something that looks like an indentation or an opening or an inset, made of different shades of desaturated reds and pinks with thinner light cyan outlines painted over.

Monochromatic light blue partial portrait, only eyes and nose seen from below. Geometric wide triangular upward nose, nostrils dark. Big round eyes with many overlapping ovals turned at different angles in each pupil. Slightly curved line under each eye. Curved black lines above each eye.

Square painting with a saturated red background framed by blue and white scribbles and scratches. A hairy cartoonish figure with a long nose, two short legs, and no visible arms is drawn in dark purple slightly right of the center. A cylinder-like form, approximately the size of its nose, is centered behind it.

Scene in monochromatic light bluish green. Figure is lying / lifting from / draped over something long with a raised back, neck in the air. Both stubby arms fall down in front of the scene. One stubby leg crossed over another horizontal one. Three pairs of half circles are drawn over the head, chest, and groin areas. A three dimensional space in a different receding perspective is behind the figure, with something that looks like a windowsill or edge and some vertical and horizontal slats maybe.

Request Deferred was an intervention in the digitization process of the Israel State Archive.

Vertical panel in layers of light greens, yellows, some cyan and pink. A horizontal simple figure with crossed legs is at the bottom of the panel, obscured by smudges and streaks emanating from a large medium yellow form at the center. Long lines move in a large arc between head and legs across the panel's height.

Monochrome drawing of a scene in a bluish green. A curvy figure drawn as an outline is stretched across the diagonal plane, its posture doesn't quite make sense. It's floating upwards, head and edge of stubby arm over / under a solid oval surrounded by a ring / lip. Eyes appear closed as half circles. Other arm extends towards a three dimensional cavity in a receding three dimensional grid, with two clashing perspectives. A small butt and crossed stubby legs are over another three dimensional opening in yet another clashing perspective.

Three dimensional scene in monochromatic gray, drawn from a top diagonal perspective. A figure with stubby arms and legs and three pairs of half circles (eyes, chest, groin area) is lying on a surface with supports, head in the air, holding weights up. Two walls have three dimensional cavities in them, a small one on the left behind the head and a large one on right, next to the weight and above the floor.

A large pseudo three dimensional triangular form is in the center of the page against a thick background in two very similar shades of red. Each side of the triangular form appears to fold into the adjacent sides, with colorful horizontal stripes running along it. An inner triangular space reveals a thick background in muted orange and purple colors. Thick colorful lines emanate out of the triangular form outwards, carved out of the background.

Layers of orange and light desaturated yellow cover a vertical panel with large smudges of color. A figure is drawn in a thick very light yellow line: large head form, round body with a big butt, the beginning of the back of the left thigh, left arm cropped by the left edge before the elbow, right arm cropped by the right edge after the shoulder.

Portrait. Round head in red outlines appears to be facing slightly upwards with two large arrows facing each other for eyes and a big c shaped mouth with sharp triangular teeth on top and bottom, slightly offset. The figure is wearing what looks like a red bandana tied in the back and a black shirt. A wide textured black mostly transparent stroke runs over and across the eyes and extends beyond the head.

Drawing in mostly monochrome purple with some red and a touch of light orange. An upside down mostly full tub-like vessel with a lip on suggested ground registers as a hat of a minimal head. Two thin red lines outline the shape of the head. Two red upward facing half circles on top of what would have been a liquid register as eyes probably. Broad lines in faint purple radiate outwards around the figure and hat / tub.

Monochromatic medium orange drawing. A three dimensional inset with a dark side face and a darker back sits in a grid of textured pieces that don't quite align with its perspective. Four finger-like forms with fingernails and little indentations are lined next to each other on the bottom side of the inset.

Horizontal panel split roughly in two side by side halves. On the left is a red drop, point up, its outline is carved in many thin lines, against a mostly green background with smudges, scrapes, and wiped areas. On the right is a mostly turquoise drop, point down, its rendering of a reflection is carved, its outline is a gradient of pink, orange, and red, against a pseudo three dimensional background in oranges and yellows. The background across the two halves makes up a vague spatial scene.

Monochromatic red scene in oil pastel. Figure draped over / floating above a container with a large oval opening, situated in a skewed three dimensional space. Wall divided into squares with one square missing. Ground drops into a cliff. Closed eyes forms on head and chest.

Topless, muscular, and mustached cartoonish figure with long hair, a bandana, and a closed fist drawn in red lines from the belt up against a thick textured light greenish gray background. Peeking from behind the background is a part of a light skinned face with mostly swirly eye forms visible.

Monochrome portrait in red. A triangular head with some three dimensional depth to it seems to be moving toward the bottom right area of the page or indicate an extreme perspective. Eyes looking sideways toward the right. Long pointy nose crosses the triangle shape into the red background. Mouth lined with rectangular teeth grid slightly curved upwards. Long mustache spiraling on each end.

Scene in mostly monochromatic gray with some detail in color, drawn from a side perspective. A figure drawn with an outline is on a road with alternating dark and light siding. One leg crossed over another, leaning backwards, arms bent at the elbows and extending most of the width of the page, ending in stubs. Three downward half circles are drawn on head, chest, groin area. Squiggly gray lines cross horizontally behind the head and above it. Colorful action lines in teal, yellow, and purple are behind the body. Thick dark orange and thin teal smudge is behind the head. Bright pink stroke starts light in front of the head and ends thick and saturated at the left edge of the page.

Scene in thickly applied layers of oil pastels. A textured light gray, slightly translucent figure is surrounded by teal and stretched inside a cross cut of something that would be a tub but looks kind of like a chariot form. Whatever it is, it's yellow, has a red outline and occasionally recedes into the thick orange background. The figure's outline is a shimmering violet that appears to be carved out of the medium around it. One leg crossed over a very straight and extended leg. One arm falling sideways and back. Two downward facing half circles as eyes.

Layers of oil pastel cover the page and frame it with warm colors. A gray figure with pink outlines is at the center, eyes closed, legs crossed, arm falling. It’s draped over / floating above a hazy dark red object with light turquoise mass. Lines and smudges move outwards from the figure towards the edges of the page.

Small light pink blobby outline with a small vertical red smudge are positioned on a winding yellow pink receding path against a green form with yellow step-like loose carvings. To the left are three areas of color like receding hills bottom to top: dark purple and red with streaks, dark purple and light orange texture, pink and red with orange streaks. The green form's edges smear toward the three forms.

A very spiky figure with overlapping jagged outlines (in coral, light green, and yellow) has two short arrow eyes pointing at each other, short arms, and short stubby legs. Its right arm is reaching toward a gray screen of what is probably a laptop, with the bottom side drawn loosely below. The figure and most of the laptop are in a bright yellow background, against a loosely covered brown background. Red letters say "EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OKAY." over the laptop and right above the figure, Hs getting smaller across the line.

Blue outline drawing of a book spread open over a mostly black background. The spread features a full bleed gray portrait of a weary face. There is a hole cut out of the right side of the book, revealing the background and a pink smudge. Yellow lines of various widths emanate from the left side of the book to the left edge of the paper.

Abstract composition. Rectangle layered in greens and blues runs across the bottom quarter to a third of the page. Above it is a squiggly brown form with a raised pointy edge and a darker blue triangle below its edge. Above it is a dotted brown line with a right facing arrow, over textured blue forms with little circles and some straight vertical and diagonal lines. The arrow meets a narrow dark blue vertical form. To its side is a light textured gray and blue rectangle with a thin blue line running across its bottom side.

Simple line drawing of a spiral in saturated pink moves between a drain form at the bottom and the top edge of the long vertical panel, against a thick orange background with a few unclear details and lines peaking out. Light translucent teal amorphous shape covers the bottom area. Shorter thin vertical yellow lines and smudges cover the middle and top area.

Simple drawing in light blue outline. The tip of a finger, with a relatively detailed fingernail is over a "5" key, edge of finger touching the rounded edge of the 5.

A scene. Figure drawn in light pink outlines is at center, standing on one stubby leg with the other leg crossed over it, holding a cup with a stubby arm. Eyes closed, wiggly lines rising from cup form. Ground is two horizontal light pink lines. To the right and cropped is a tall and wide container in black outline. To the left above the head is a red rectangle and the letters RD in white against a black background.

Scene in a squarish area on a horizontal page. A crudely depicted horizontal box on a pole (like a billboard) casts a subtle purple skewed shadow, on a simple purple landscape next to a faint pink road leading to small red forms, against a dark purple sky with a pink quarter of a circle in the top right corner. The box is lined with small marks / dots alternating between red and a yellowish cyan. The middle of the box is a yellowish cyan. Short thin red lines and light pink smudges radiate around the box.

Red tub seen from above, engulfed in thick yellow, taking up the majority of the height of a vertical panel and appears to be leaning on the panel's right and bottom edges. What would be the water is an opaque light teal with some red smudges and squiggly yellow lines in a loose grid pattern.

Red tub seen from above, against a light orange background, taking up the majority of the height of the paper and appears to be leaning on the paper's right and bottom edges. What would be the water is an opaque light teal with some purple smudges and squiggly orange lines in a loose grid pattern.

Abstract form or a detail of a form in shades of red against a cloudy dark magenta purple background , with a large curve partially rendered with scratches and a thick translucent light blue mark. Darker red curve adds depth. Small circle with a dot at the center and five thin lines and some gray smudges in the bottom right area of the page, on top of another light red area.

Simple figure / droopy form drawn a little below the center of a square panel in thick and faint red line over another form against a ground defined by two short diagonal lines. Stubby legs crossed above the knee and falling over, stubby arm falling over the lip of the bottom form. Light red smudges around the figure and some past scrubbed renderings of the same scene. 5 light red crosses of different sizes scattered in the background around and above the figure.

Scene in thick blue hues, with pink outlines carved out of it. Curvy figure is floating above a tub with lip / upside down hat with brim in what appears to be a steamy room against a grid of small imprecise squares, almost touching a horizontal line at the top of the page. The figure has two downward facing half circles for eyes, stubby limbs falling down, legs crossed.

Monochrome blue composition. A curved line stretches between top right corner and just above the bottom left corner. Another shorter curved line connects to its top right region and extends the left side of the top edge. The two lines make a shape that kind of looks like the letter y. The triangular area at the top is a darker blue.

Monochrome drawing in purple oil pastel on newsprint. A figure drawn in a loose curvy outline is floating above a nearly full tub-like container. The figure's legs are crossed and all of its limbs are falling over. Its eyes are two downward facing half circles. The tub is on a ground of thin long horizontal lines, against a background of broad vertical lines, and under multiple rows of darker horizontal squiggly lines like high frequency waves.

Figure in red outline is drawn loose and contorted with its body lifted up and around with legs crossed, head is anchored on the side of a two dimensional form filled with turquoise, one blobby hand dropped within it. The composition is set against a bright yellow background.

Witnessing the legacy of paramilitary Zionist violence from the 1930s and 1940s.

Figure in red outline is lying in / on top of a container roughly in the shape of a hip bone and that registers as some kind of a tub (also drawn in red outline). The figure is surrounded by blue that's in / on top of the container, boneless legs crossed, arm dropped. The background is bright yellow.

A blob shape with a big round cartoon eye is drawn in overlapping pencil lines of many different colors.

Oil pastel drawing in red and turquoise, drawn for a top down perspective. A simple figure with closed eyes and crossed legs is lying in or above a vessel with turquoise fill and red outline. One arm is hanging over the lip of the vessel.

Line drawing in pink oil pastel. Horizontal bean shape with a large filled in circle on each side.

Cartoon simplified and incorrect line drawing of a standing skeleton in pink oil pastel. Skull, small bone for neck, horizontal bone for shoulders, two bones for each arm, hand and finger bones, three ribs, hip bone shaped line a bean with two circles, two bones for each leg, foot and toe bones.

Rendering of a drawing of a skull in color pencil. The skull is roughly centered on the page against a bright yellow background. It has a thick medium pink outline, two filled in vertical ovals for eye sockets, upside down filled in heart shape for the nasal cavity, two unrealistically long sharp fangs on the sides with a round protrusion at their top, and sharp zigzag upper teeth in between.

Sorting through ancestor-descendant folder structures to process ancestor-descendant knowledge transference and loss.

/* Vessels */ is a sneakernet system for collecting and sharing practices within trusted networks.

A file system where past records are constantly revisited and recreated as their created dates and modified dates shift.

Personal history, national narratives, code, and sound facilitate a debugging session of a memory leak: a type of software bug that gradually makes memory unavailable and depletes the system of resources.

Staged as a series of video tutorials, Merge Conflicts engages a process of unlearning settler colonial pedagogy through using Git, a software tool for managing multiple versions of digital documents.

A website that traces the physical route data packets traveled from the server, through various routers along the network, and to the client. The website plays recent recordings of birds from key places along the route.

I made a cut in Israeli history textbooks and things started to spill out.

Modified drum resonates with the heartbeats of a group of five people.

Fantastic Futures was a collective formed during the Iraq War. With participants from Baghdad and NYC, we shared stories and envisioned the future. We created an interactive sound collection through which we made and exchanged sounds. We interviewed each other, made field recordings and listened together. We collaged sounds from different locations to form compositions.