The sculptural work of Liora Kaplan (*1974, Herzliya; lives and works in Tel Aviv-Yafo) explores the relationship between contemporary pop culture, shamanism, and primitivism, while simultaneously bringing forth new understanding to the notion of appropriation, being that the objects presented in her work have a strong cultural significance and are charged with the authorship of their craftsmanship. Through a collection of objects belonging to different cultures and traditions and created in disparate places, the artist ‘mines’ what is symbolic. In other words, her work materializes the possibility of imbuing symbols with personal meaning and underlines the role of time and space as key conditions for such a process to happen.

Kaplan constantly associates what she collects and what she appropriates with newly created sculptural elements, generating an ingenious coded language that allows the viewers to project their subjective interpretations onto the artworks, triggering a feeling that is foreign and familiar. Through the juxtaposition of collected objects and new elements, various surfaces, and different techniques, she honors the history of craft while through the appropriation of these objects she creates conceptual shrines that are preserving the legacy of the artisans who came before her, individuals who often stay as “creators without a name.”

In 2019, Kaplan started a series of totemic sculptures based on the combination of mid-20th-century objects with original elements, which are at times crafted by the artist and at times outsourced to artisans. Formally inspired by historical drawings of fountains, these vertical objects are defined by the artist as “still images of the process of change, in which the potential of the infinite flows.” Specifically, the appropriated objects presented in these sculptures are iconic pieces of Israeli ceramic, the aura of which is replete with personal and collective memories, verging from the artisans who made the pieces to the individuals who owned them throughout the decades; from the geographical and historical context that informed their creation to the cultural ideology that informed their design.

In her solo exhibition at CCA Tel Aviv-Yafo, Kaplan is intertwining two forces: on the one hand, her exhibition is paying tribute to an exceptional chapter in the history of Israeli art and craft, echoing the kind of experimentation that was associated to these decades and touched all level of society; on the other hand, this new body of work is shedding light on the paradoxical figure of the “conceptual artisan,” who is mastering craft without being subjugated by its technicality, following cerebral and conceptual practices that do not disregard the prominent role of visuality, the tactile quality of surfaces and the sensual power of forms. Ultimately, such dichotomy is carried by the artist through a unique sense of playfulness, giving a very special place to her work, both within the context of Israel and within the international contemporary art discourse.

“Liora Kaplan: Rhythms of Permanent Resonance” is curated by Nicola Trezzi.

The exhibition is accompanied by printed matter in Hebrew, Arabic and English and exhibition tours in English on March 12, in Arabic on March 5 and in Hebrew on February 26 and March 19, a roundtable on March 3, a Saturday Kids Lab led by Eden Bannet on March 5 and a conversation between the artist and Shlomit Bauman on March 19.

“Liora Kaplan: Rhythms of Permanent Resonance” is supported by Thomas Rom; additional support provided by Sean Leffers, Marie-Luise von Sachsen, Marc Schimmel, Yona Zach, Braverman Gallery, Tel Aviv and those who wish to remain anonymous; special thanks to Iris Rywkind Ben Zour; the presentation at CCA Tel Aviv-Yafo is part of a collaboration with KMAC Museum in Louisville KY, where a sister exhibition by Liora Kaplan will be presented in 2023.

Images

1

Voice under all silences, 2021

Wood, brass and Israeli ceramics from the factories of Kfar Menachem and Karnat, 177 × 54 × 28 cm

Courtesy of the artist and Braverman Gallery, Tel Aviv

Photo: Tal Nisim

2-3

“Liora Kaplan: Rhythms of Permanent Resonance,” 2022

View of the exhibition at CCA Tel Aviv-Yafo

Photo: Tal Nisim

4

Aspects of Existence, 2021

Glass, Brass and Israeli ceramics from the factories of Kfar Menachem and Harsa, 164 × ø 73 cm

Courtesy of the artist and Braverman Gallery, Tel Aviv

Photo: Tal Nisim