I created 25 minimalist sculptures, in cube forms, that raises topics on social, political and environmental issues.
Enclosing some sculptures in the project. Some other are in previous posts.
Earth’s Treasures אוצרות האדמה
It took me four blessed years to work on the project, 2014 – 2018.
Oceans Against Plastic אוקינוס נגד פלסטיק
All the wooden cubes are found objects. The cubes are fortunate now to have another life, as sculptures; carrying important messages.
With a stroke of paint, in black, red, turquoise etc., the themes are revealed to the world to attract the attention of the people, so these important subjects can be dealt with.
Bloody Shoe Sole סוליה מדממת
It was a challenge to incorporate subliminal social messages, universal concepts and social issues in small wooden cubes, to create meaningful minimalistic work.
Temple מקדש
These ideas have been bubbling in my head for a while. They got a form & shape and grow out to be a new form from each cube, and the subject matter became one with the cube. In a way, each cube’s unique form, character and texture leads me.
Distance the State of Mind from Conflict, War להרחיק הלך רוח מעימות, ממלחמה
I sand, scrub and polish each cube, to reveal the beauty of the wood, the texture and its specific qualities.
Homage to Creativity מחווה ליצירתיות
Each cube represents a universal subject.
Coca Cola Status סטטוס קוקה קולה
Each cube slowly reveals its secrets to me. Some were nearly in perfect form but the wood was painted brutally, covering its qualities. Others, their ugly form and deformed shape inspired me to bring up ideas I wanted to present.
Longing for Mars ערגה למאדים
Wood, metal, acrylic, oil, tar, plastic, varnish. Sizes of cubes vary between 7 – 10 cm².
Primary – the life of an individual is most important.
The Corona crisis in the Western countries and in Israel, has been characterized primarily as a health crisis, with scientific aspects and economic consequences.
The political crisis emerging under the health and economic crisis has no less serious consequences than the consequences of the Corona itself.
1984 = 2020 Acrylic and black oil ink on paper. 60 * 60 cm. Work created: 23 March 2020. Massive Corona outbreak round the world.
Under the health crisis that the Western democracies have taken on to, a public & political crisis has also been revealed.
Extraordinary powers that the public gives to its governments, must serve only the purpose for which they were given: suppressing the disease in Corona and balancing the other violations of individual rights created as a result.
A close up of an elderly demonstrator (Top right) 1984 = 2020
The Corona crisis created in some countries “legal” circumstances for “temporary” emergency laws that restricts civil rights on the pretext of the “public good”. Also created an unequal enforcement between different populations.
The excuse of spreading the virus deprives the individual citizen of his civil rights, allowing the government and the state to enforce civil laws while the citizens are mentally and physically in weak condition.
Hand –Identification and a signature of personality of a person (Bottom middle) 1984 = 2020
Individual rights Should be kept at all times and atthe times of Corona plague.
Tomer Ganun from Calcalist newspaper: 23.3.2020
Tomer Ganun from Calcalist; Israeli newspaper: 23.3.2020 (Above)
“Individual rights do not “survive” throughthe Corona plague.“
Protecting the rights of the individual is not a privilege in an emergency. On the contrary, it is mandatory. The bridle must not be removed. Supervision of the information collected about us, the citizens and its use.
The balance between preserving the public and preserving its right to privacy must not be compromised. Giving up here is dangerous and doomed to disaster. It gives wide discretion to various parties – the Shaback (Secret police), the Police, the Ministry of Health – who may abuse their power in the name of protecting the public.
My work is inspired by: Guernica by Picasso & 1984, A Novel by George Orwell
Creating – is an endless search and adventure into the inner truth
To express Creation, the Birth of the Worlds – it is parallel to an inner search.
It’s a surprise to me, again and again, to realize that making a painting, creating art, as well as writing, it’s a methodical conscious and unconscious form of search into the inner truth, the inner thoughts; side by side with the urge for adventure.
Cave painting. 40,000 years old painting or older. (Wikipedia)
From the dawn of humanity human feelings have been expressed in painting, in sculpture – as truth passionate feelings, “experiences of the soul”.
And so, in late 2014, I gave myself a complete freedom – without fear, with no pain, without limits, with no time restrictions, without color limits – I had just one thing in mind – to express my feelings on the subject – “At the beginning” (Genesis, בראשית).
And I let myself go with that feeling of the heavenly event.
“In the beginning”, the creation of light
I remember one thing from this event – dizziness! I was eager to express passionately my initial basic feelings, wanted to sacrifice my logical thoughts for the sake of letting go, but what I felt was – dizziness. 😮
As soon as I let myself “to loose the ground”, I went into kind of ecstasy and the colors themselves led me.
Creation. The birth of the worlds
The essence of life is expressed in art, by art; it is impossible to separate them from one anther.
Graduation Exhibition at Ravensbourne College of Art, London 1978
By: Nurit Manor
It is customary to say “At dawn one can see the coming day”, and so this time I am writing about my graduation exhibition at Ravensbourne College of Art, London in 1978.
After so many years, I can say that in many ways the Anti War Show of 1978 reflects to this day my work, my ideas.
Anti War Show. 1978 Graffiti wall “No Polaris”. Black metal bars = Statue of Submarine. (Top left) Fiberglass flag waving on to Sub. (Top right) Large silk screen print “People”, on canvas. (Up front) Anti-War manifesto-flag, in glass box.
The theme of my exhibition was “Anti War”. The show included different types of works – Large paintings, Submarine sculpture, Silk screen prints, Outdoor display and Written manifest as art-work. Already in my second year in college, I insisted on making a short film (8 mm, 22 minutes) which was indirectly related to the same subject matter of Anti War – “Manna” (Looking for a leader).
At that exhibition, and over the years, I realize that I choose the materials to work with – according to the subject matter (for good or for bad 😊), and try not to “stick” to one form of art.
Black Metal bars = Statue of Submarine 2 meters high (Top) Fiberglass flag waving (Background) Graffiti wall “No Polaris”
The works in the Anti War exhibition included very large iron bars of 2 meters high, that symbolize a submarine – THE symbol of weapon of war. The statue of the submarine in its symbolic-minimalist form was chosen for several reasons: These were the years when “Polaris” ballistic missiles were provided on submarine-based as nuclear weapons systems. 1968-1996 Also at the time, there were many demonstrations and marches against the Polaris. In addition, on a personal level, my husband was missing, with a crew of 69 Israeli soldiers of The Dakar submarine, that went missing in the Mediterranean during the Cold War.
Nothing Changed – Weapon is most important!
General Look at the exhibition + Flag (right up)
WE NEED YOU! Polaris.
The main theme of the exhibition was “The Flag”. The flag was introduced in the exhibition in many forms – A fiberglass flag, colorless and without a nationalistic identity, waving on a minimalistic submarine-sculpture.
The Flag. Collage.
A painting of a patriot man proudly carried a national flag, being so eager carrying the flag that it covered also his eyes.
Outdoor display flag, 40 meters long– whose beginning was proudly waving high but at the end it sunk deep in the ground in a pool of blood. That flag in a way summed up the exhibition.
And an Anti-War manifesto-flag, in which the text is embedded in English and Hebrew. The flag was placed in a glass box. (see below)
Unfortunately and strangely enough the Anti-War manifesto-flag, was stolen from the exhibition.
Anti-War manifesto-flag
Blood Border, Silk Screen, 1978
נוהגים לומר “עם עלות השחר רואים את היום כולו״, וכך אני כותבת הפעם על תערוכת הסיום שלי בקולג׳ ריבנסבורן בלונדון, 1978, תערוכה אשר משקפת במידה רבה את עבודתי עד היום. נושא תערוכת הסיום היה – “אנטי מלחמה”, שכלל סוגים שונים של עבודות – ציורים, פסל, הדפסי משי, עבודה גדולה מחוץ לכותלי הקולג׳ ומניפסט כתוב כעבודת אמנות – בעברית ואנגלית. כבר בשנה השנייה בקולג ‘התעקשתי להכין סרט קצר (2 דקות) שקשור .”Manna” (מחפש מנהיג)
למדתי שלאורך השנים אני בוחרת את החומרים לעבודותי בהתאמה לאופי הנושא, ומשתדלת לא “להיצמד” לצורת אמנות אחת
העבודות בתערוכה כללו – פסל מיריעות ברזל גדולות, בגובה 2 מטר, שהיו כסמל לצוללת – סמל נשק המלחמה. פסל הצוללת בצורתו הסמלית-מינימליסטית נבחר מכמה סיבות: אלה היו השנים בהן סופקו טילים בליסטיים “פולאריס”, מערכות נשק גרעיניות לצוללות. כמו גם, באותה עת היו הפגנות וצעדות רבות בלונדון ובאנגליה נגד טילי ה״פולריס״. ובנוסף, ברמה האישית, בעלי היה אחד מ- 69 נעדרי הצוללת דקר, שנעלמה בים התיכון במהלך המלחמה הקרה.
הנושא המרכזי של התערוכה היה “הדגל״ הדגל הוצג בצורות רבות – דגל פיברגלס, חסר צבע וללא זהות לאומית, שהתנופף על פסל הצוללת המינימליסטית ציור של פטריוט נושא בגאווה דגל לאומי, ובהיותו כה להוט, הדגל מכסה גם את עיניו דגל שהתנוסס מחוץ לכותלי הקולג׳, באורך 40 מטר, שבתחילתו מתנפנף גבוה בגאווה אך בסופו שקוע באדמה רווייה בדם דגל-מניפסט אנטי מלחמתי, בו מוטבע טקסט באנגלית ובעברית. הדגל הונח בתוך קופסת זכוכית (בתמונה למעלה)
באופן מפתיע ומאכזב דגל-המניפסט האנטי מלחמתי נגנב מקופסת הזכוכית
