Israeli mixed media artist, Hanoch Piven, doesn't limit himself to using watercolors, crayons or inks to create his creative art works that often include celebrity caricatures. Piven, 48, shared his special skills with a group of migrant workers' children on Wednesday during a workshop at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA).
To demonstrate his unusual style, Piven first presented a self-portrait in which his nose was a banana, eyebrows were two screws, spectacles were magnifying glasses and mouth was a spring wire.
Piven said any object including food, clothes, toys and tools can be used to create art. In recent years, he has also began collecting trash to create art. "This educates people that used items can be recycled and reused in an interesting and funny way," said Piven.
Born in Uruguay, Piven moved to Israel at the age of 11 and developed a passion for drawing people's faces in odd and often wacky ways. He quickly learned he could use objects to create caricatures of people and creatively tap into his subjects' personalities.
Piven once created a portrait of scientist Albert Einstein, with his hair and moustache depicted by scattering electrical wires to reflect his genius and diverse sources of inspiration. In another picture of man with a penchant for junk food, Piven used a garbage can to create the mouth.
Piven has been introducing his unique collage techniques to children across the world in workshops since 2003. The workshops help children experiment with common everyday objects to create their own works of art.
Piven has also illustrated books for adults and children. His 2004 book, What Presidents Are Made Of, is now in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress in Washington DC.
"In Israel, we admire creativity and Piven is one of the most famous artists in this aspect," said Zvika Ziv, director of Culture, Academic and Provincial Affairs at the Israeli Embassy in Beijing.
"His method of drawing has also been implemented in many kindergartens in Israel."
Wednesday's workshop was part of UCCA's "Rainbow Journey" series of children's workshops that aim to give the capital's children of migrant workers practical, hands-on learning opportunities to get involved in art.
UCCA has already organized more than a dozen similar activities, all inviting domestic and foreign artists to teach children how to look creative memorable art works. Some 25 students from Tuanhe Primary School in Daxing District attended the workshop run by Piven.
"Many migrant children do not have the chance to see contemporary art or meet artists," said Zhang Chuan, organizer of UCCA's children workshops. She added that artists like Piven offer migrant workers' children the chance to learn art in an environment normally reserved for more children from more privileged backgrounds.