ART Habens
Maya Gelfman
work is accomplished , and only then , do I look for a place for it in the world . And when a work is out there , pursuing fulfillment , that is when the viewer ' s involvement plays an important role .
Naturally , when I create site-specific interventions , choosing a visual language that refers to a particular context is indispensable . Audience reception might act as a factor in this case , as long as it ' s connected to the essential core and function of a work . In a way , street-art works on all of these levels . In public spaces I ask questions regarding awareness and submergence , whether the representation of the personal could ever exist out there , not to mention create a moment of mindfulness for a passerby . That is why I always try to be open and in the moment myself , create with the same intention I wish to convey through the work . A work can take 10 minutes or a year to make . It has to do with precision , intentions and how well these are rooted in the actual context of the work ' s meaning . What I ' m saying is that I strive to practice what I preach and create with the same intention I wish to convey through the work . So if a work is supposed to encourage awareness , I make sure to be open and absorbent in order to reflect the specific atmosphere that was around me at the time of creating the work . And if a work is about assimilation , I ' m deliberately getting lost in the urban mess . that there were expectations as to what I ' ll do , though the gallery owner kindly made sure not to pronounce them . Still I decided to take the word NEW quite literally and surprise myself by creating in a new way . The challenge was set - I wanted to go through this process while inventing a methodical way to flexibility , change and random potential . Since my actions can be monotonous at times ( as mentioned earlier , 6 months of weaving strands of wool or puncturing 2000 tiny holes in a single sheet of paper ), I had to find a way not to succumb to mechanical actions . I set myself the goal of maintaining a coherent intention without controlling and over-analyzing it . The solution I found to all of the above was to combine simple " body tricks " with " letting go " and embracing serendipity . I used sensory synthesis - I divided my attention between the senses of touch , hearing and sight .
Thank you for this thought provoking discourse , it was a pleasure . These days I ' m working on an installation for the Israel Museum of Art , that would be exhibited in May . Later on this year and leading to 2017 I ' ll be embarking on a global social-art project that will generate an exchange of ideas , messages and life lessons between parallel communities in faraway places , beginning with the USA . This project will also include a street-art tour as well as other events . Then , back to Israel in 2017-18 , for a planned new solo exhibition at the launching of the renovated Ramat-Gan Museum of Art . As for evolving ... It ' s definitely ongoing as we speak . I ' m currently in a trans-formative phase so I can ' t say for sure where it will take me and how things will unfold , but I ' m very much excited and looking forward to find out .
In my TEDx talk I tried to summarize a year-long process of creating a completely new body of works for my fifth solo exhibition . I knew that it was going to be a Sisyphean process and I knew |
An interview by
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Special Issue
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