textile dreams: spanning the distance between israel, france, banality and art

Israeli artist Tzuri Gueta deconstructs and reconstructs, sculpting ethereal, almost sea like creations out of the most banal materials. His installations seems to bow to no rules, follow no conventions; the unexpected shapes and textures take your breath away and draw you in with their curious forms. As a contemporary creator, Gueta focuses our attention on the magic that happens when something is taken apart- through the process of re-creation, something entirely new is borne, and mere polymer is elevated to airy gracefulness.

Gueta honed his art working for Parisian designers who needed exceptional and unusual designs to decorate the collars and hems of their haute couture creations. Some of his object-accessories resemble softly glowing opalesque drops, achieved by pressing lace against silicone gel. Others are reminiscent of sea anemones or underwater plants, while others are vaguely threatening- sharp black shapes thrusting out of tar-like textures.

Gueta recently had an exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, entitled Si51. I never did discover exactly what Si51 is, so I feel free to engage in a little open interpretation here- I liked the scientific connotation of the exhibit’s name, seemingly in reference to the fusion of hi-tech and low-tech processes to re-form synthetic materials into something much more. While obviously stunningly gorgeous, I also found the installations to be filled with inspiration. The story of rebirth or recreation holds such promise, for it always seems lke just around the corner lies redemption. Gueta’s deconstruction and recreation of base and usually vulgar materials into new and unrecognizable forms is a visualization of hope. When things fall apart, exquisite beauty can rise phoenix-like from the ashes.

paper people: transience of time, permanence of memory

We are all molded by our surroundings to some extent, even if those surroundings existed only for a second. Israeli artist Naama Aaransohn is fascinated by the transience of people- forever passing by, a never ending blur of individuality that disappears almost as suddenly as it came. In her new exhibit 'Paper People', Ms. Aaronsohn explores how our transient surroundings become imprinted on our memory and re-imagined into permanence.

To visualize the journey from transient memory to palpable permanence, Ms. Aaronsohn turned to the medium of paper to sculpt her impressions of of different characters she has encountered. She explains that paper is an 'endlessly amenable material' which, throughout the process of sculpture creation, turns into something 'tough, enduring, and multilayered'.

Surprisingly, the juxtaposition of delicate paper sculptures scattered throughout the busy business formality of a crisp and modern foyer is quite fitting. Rather than the paper creations being cordoned off to the side, safe from childrens' sticky fingers and businessmens' noted inability to multitask walking and blackberrying, the sculptures mingle with people and almost intercept your path. Just as the real life inspirations are impermanent, interacted with for just a moment, so too did these sculptures appear to be- the backs of the sculptures are rough and unfinished, meant to be a part of your space and then moved past.

The dining table scene seemed out of place to me- while the other sculptures were believable in that they could have been characters that you encounter throughout your day and move past quickly, the dining scene required to to stop and walk over, examining it from different angles and perspectives. In forcing you to stop and investigate the going ons of these paper hedonists, the artist went too far in interiorizing the exhibit. I love the concept of exploring how the ever-changing space we move through takes on a personalized permanence through re-imagination, but the artist needs to refine her vision in order for the exhibit to be more cohesive.

reNEWal- 'artists' choices' exhibit at the renewed israel musuem

A temporary exhibit that has opened the new wings of the Israel Museum is entitled ‘Artists Choices’. Three guest artists (Zvi Goldstein, Susan Hiller, and Yinka Shonibare) were honored with the task of curating their own exhibits. With full access to everything in the Museum’s collection, they have crafted three very different and incredible exhibits with highly personal yet universal topics. The exhibits enrich the experience of the Museum as a repository of aesthetic and cultural memory, and are the perfect way to showcase the “renewed” Museum.

Susan Hiller's exhibit was my personal favorite, and I managed to sneakily take a few pics when the guard looked away. Her exhibit is a layered presentation of modern and contemporary art, and focused on the themes of fragmentation, decay and metaphoric absence. Simultaneously melancholic and tragically beautiful, I feel on love with an installation of three huge panels of blood red flowers. Trapped beneath large plastic sheets, the live flowers were deprived of water and slowly dying, yet the clouds of mold that blossomed among the petals only added to the fragile beauty of the piece.

The “STILLmoving” installation was also wonderful, with highlights such as Celeste Boursier-Mougenot’s pool filled with different sized porcelain and glass objects. The objects produce a softly twinkling chorus as they gently swirl in the waters, and their unplanned and harmonious beauty reminds the observer of the possible beauty to be found in mundane objects.

Another exciting find was Noel and Harriette Levine's collection of photographs. Apparently this New York society couple were among the first to recognize the latent promise of photography as an art form, and over the years they built up one of the most significant collections of photographs, including photographs from Robert Mapplethorpe and prints from the 19th century. Rather than selling their extraordinary collection to an institution or dismantling it and auctioning it off, they instead donated the entire collection to the Museum on Israel's 60th anniversary. Thus the entire photographic collection has remained as a whole, preserving its integrity and personal character. It was incredible to see so many great pieces together- unfortunately I could not sneak any photos this time (the guard was onto my antics and affixed me with an evil eye), so I guess you will have to check this one out for yourself.