My art utilizes marks to guide viewers into and out of the painting, inviting exploration of hidden and revealed layers. This interplay between concealment and revelation enhances the visual experience, fostering dialogue with the viewer. Through this approach, I aim to create art that captivates aesthetically and prompts thoughtful exploration of space, form, and meaning.
Identity and Home
Through my art, I explore the layers of my identity shaped by my immigration experience, split between California and Israel. This journey prompts reflections on the intersections of my Jewish heritage with questions of belonging and home. Using language, rituals, and memory across various media, I weave a dynamic tapestry of identity, depicting the complexities of immigration. My aim is to foster empathy and dialogue, inviting viewers to reflect on their own experiences of a place and belonging.
About the accordion book
The accordion book serves as a central medium, serving as the ideal medium to narrate the journey of 'home.' It unravels layers, shedding light on the complexities of place, time, language, cultural dynamics, and the deep sense of belonging. Its unique feature, readable from right to left in Hebrew for the place left behind or left to right in English symbolizing 'going west,' holds profound symbolism. Moreover, the book's length signifies the geographical distance between these two homes.
About the screens installation
Three suspended screens feature different full-body outline cuts, representing my diverse identities as an immigrant. The first screen displays an abstract painting on sheer fabric, portraying my leap of faith during moments of change. The second and third screens, made from packaging materials, symbolize the physical act of relocation. Cutouts in the screens allow partial images to pass through, symbolizing the voids and gains inherent in the immigration journey.
Trauma, Fear, Resilient and Hope
My work responded to the collective trauma and profound sadness within my Israeli-Jewish community. I explored the myth of home as a fortress, confronting the fear and devastation that arise when home becomes unsafe—a stark reality for families hiding in bomb shelters that failed to protect them from violence. My project, Constructing Safety/Diminishing Home, examines the paradox where efforts to ensure safety strip away the warmth, familiarity, and emotional security that make a place feel like home.
Using jute and yellow caution tape knitted over 50 hours, I created elements of a bomb shelter: a door, a shrapnel-protected window opening, and protective walls. Knitting, a tactile, bodily process, contrasts with the impersonal act of pouring concrete. The material evokes fragility and resilience, mirroring the human experience of fear and hope. Illuminated by a construction projector, the installation uses light to symbolize both hope and the shadows of fear.
Supporting works include paintings addressing fear and borders, and a pop-up book exploring home’s vulnerability. My message— “only peace is a safe place”—aims to inspire empathy and dialogue. This body of work reflects trauma, resilience, and the enduring human pursuit of light amidst darkness.
