Language:
Hebrew
Pages:
283 Seiten, [2] Blatt
,
Illustrationen
Year of publication:
2016
Keywords:
Künstlerin
;
Ausstellung
Abstract:
Ofra Zimbalista (1939–2014) was a unique presence on the Israeli art scene. She did not measure her success solely by the number of museum exhibitions she participated in, but rather by the placement of her sculptures in public spaces. Her works speak above all to the public at large rather than to art connoisseurs, and the public listened and related to them with love. There were also museum exhibitions, yet the sculptures impressed upon collective memory are those placed in the public sphere, in a range of local and international sites. Zimbalista's "troupe" numbers some 50 actors. The members of this troupe are all sculptures – women, men, and children of all ages. Some of them appear in many of the artist's performances, while others participate in only a few. The stage sets vary: closed spaces, old castles, shopping malls, playgrounds. Beyond the actual process of creating the sculptures, Zimbalista's greatness lies in their positioning on these changing stages to create choreographies in space. Her spatial thinking and the precise planning of each figure's position are consistent and unique to her works – both to her permanent installations and to her temporary displays. Zimbalista's highly perfected talent in creating installation was also given expression in the positioning of the sculptures in her studio in Ashdod, which is reconstructed in the current exhibition at the Open Museum in Tefen. This is how the orphaned sculptures remained in the studio in Ashdod following the artist's death. Zimbalista's sculptural installation Walking was positioned on a rocky expanse at the heart of the Tefen Industrial Park when the Open Museum was inaugurated in 1987, and has been accompanying us ever since. "These figures will continue to walk across the rocky terrain even after we are gone," Zimbalista said in 2006, when we reinstalled the bronze casts of the figures. And she was right. The figures that make up Walking continue to accompany us today. Ruthi Ofek Exhibition Curator
Permalink
