Exhibitions
The Tel Aviv Biennale of Crafts and Design 2023
The second biennale, titled "What Is the Measure of Man?" explores the human condition on the threshold of a new age.
The Tel Aviv Biennale of Crafts and Design is a natural extension of the ongoing focus of MUZA, Eretz Israel Museum, on local material culture.
The Biennale presents an up-to-date picture of contemporary crafts and design in Israel, including ceramics, glass, jewelry making, textile and paper - in combination with one another.
In addition to forging connections between these different fields, it engages with MUZA's historical pavilions and archaeological and ethnographic treasures.
The museum's outdoor spaces will feature outdoor works including installations, sculptures, and architectural structures.
Dates: March 31 - November 11
Materials
Dry mud from Ashosh wadi at the Arava desert in Israel and red thread.
Technique
Stitching and knotting of natural earth crust
Artist statement
In "Holding the Flood," a woman becomes the conduit between the earth and her soul, utilizing red cotton threads to sew the landscape together. The act of embroidering takes on a ritualistic quality as she employs a simple and primal cross stitch, reminiscent of ancient crafts and the timeless connection between human hands and nature's elements.
Through each twisting motion of the needle, a cut is made, symbolizing the delicate balance between humanity's urge to connect with and control the land. The thread acts as connective tissue, akin to fusing bones or piecing together the fragmented remnants of broken pottery, embodying the desire to mend and restore what has been fractured.
As I sew the pieces of land with red thread, contemplation ensues on the complexities of borders, territories, and the human impulse to possess and control. These thoughts weave through my creative process, highlighting the human longing to claim land as one's own, and the consequences of such possessiveness. The red thread serves as a metaphor for the intricate networks of geopolitical boundaries and human divisions that intersect the landscape.
The piercing of the soil with a needle and droplets of water reinforces the delicate, ephemeral nature of our efforts to control the earth. Each stitch is a slow and arduous process, mirroring the Sisyphean struggle against the inevitability of change and decay. Just as the land slips away despite our attempts to hold onto it, the structure of the embroidery weakens with each new addition, revealing the fragility of our grasp on the world.
In "Holding the Flood," I explore the paradoxical desire to connect with and possess the land while acknowledging the impermanence of our efforts. Through the meditative act of embroidery, I seek to reconnect my soul to the earth, recognizing that the tighter we cling to the land, the more it crumbles and slips through our fingers. In this tension between creation and decay, I find a reflection of the human condition and the complex relationship we share with the world around us.
