mOTHER - Efrat Zehavi Visual Artist

mOTHER 13 October 2018 – 3 March 2019, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
An interactive performance with audience participation. Mixed-media installation of sculptures, collages, drawings and stories. Dimensions variable. Glazed ceramic, papier-mâché, plasticine, wood, paper, ink)
For almost five months I set up my working table in the museum. During informal consultation hours I accumulated visitors’ personal stories about their mothers and other family affairs. Based on the stories, drawings and notes I made, I then created a collection of mythological mother figures. Each sculpture can be seen as an autonomous piece, yet it is inseparable from its accompanying text, which supplies background information, observations and feelings of the daughters and sons.

ANONYMOUS GLOSSY 2016 – 2017, book launch at TENT Rotterdam
An artwork disguised as a luxury magazine, Anonymous Glossy was published in an edition of 500 copies. Each copy is numbered and signed. 336 pages, size: 22×28.4 cm, printed full-colour on acid-free Tom & Otto Gloss paper.

The diversity of Rotterdam has fascinated me for years. I wanted to get to know my fellow citizens better. Therefore, for roughly one year, I set up my working table in public spaces in the city, such as cafes, libraries, barbershops and so on. I invited strangers to be portrayed on the spot in colourful plasticine. During the modelling sessions, people told me about themselves: their origins, life experiences, disappointments and dreams. In Anonymous Glossy I gathered the stories of my models with photos of their (plasticine) faces. By giving a ‘stage’ to unknown people, I temporarily transformed them into celebrities. Therefore, I see Anonymous Glossy as a ‘monument to anonymity’. In Anonymous Glossy text and image work together: they reinforce and complete each other without being illustrative. Read more about Anonymous Glossy: text by curator Nat Muller and a short lecture of curator Wilma Sütö (Dutch)
NRC Rotterdam AD Rotterdam.
Anonymous Glossy was made possible thanks to CBK Rotterdam & crowdfunding Voordekunst

De Dichtkunstkrant the newspaper for art, poetry and current affairs 2011 – 2016
The Poetry-Art Paper is a free newspaper for art, poetry and current affairs, that was published once a year, over the course of five years, in a tabloid format. Every edition had 16 pages, printed in full colour. Edition of 10 000 copies. Graphic design: Heleen Schröder
Partners of De Dichtkunstkrant: Poetry International Rotterdam https://www.poetry.nl Turing gedichtenwedstrijd https://www.turinggedichtenwedstrijd.nl Woordnacht https://www.woordnacht.nl/ stichting Wo Meine Sonne Scheint http://www.womeinesonnescheint.com/ and RC Art-Fair.

I founded the Dichtkunstkrant in 2011 together with my partner, the poet and lawyer Florimond Wassenaar. It started as a spontaneous response to the hostile government policy and radical budget cuts in the arts. Some politicians had proclaimed that culture is merely a privilege of the Left-wing elite. The newspaper Founded upon our conviction that art (and artists) are fundamental for the functioning of a healthy democratic society. Our goal was to bring art and poetry closer to a broad public and to stimulate the discourse about the significance of poetry and art. Therefore we distributed the newspaper, free of charge, often as a performative act of handing it out, at public locations such as festivals, cafes, libraries and schools, in various cities. The Dichtkunstkrant adopted the format of a daily newspaper, as an ironic statement on the question of the value of art. All contributions from artists and poets reflected on social and political issues.

Participating artists, poets and writers 2012 – 2016 : Abner Preis, Ana Roelofs, Anna Vegter, Arie van der Ent, Avner Ben Gal, Barbara Pogačnik, Biljana Kanevche, Chris Keulemans, Dan Perjovschi, Daniel Dee, David Bade, David Troch, Dror Karta, Edda Grol, Efrat Zehavi, Erik Bindervoet, Florimond Wasenaar, Frans Fransiscus, Gal Kinan, Gijs Assmann, Gilbert van Drunen, Gil & Moti, Hamid el Kanbouhi, Han Hoogerbrugge, Itamar Burstein, Jana Beranová, Jante Wortel, Joost Veerkamp, Justin Wijers, Kiki Petratou, Kim Hospers, Klaas Koetje, Laurens Hoevenaren, Leen Pil, Maarten van der Graaff, Maria Barnas, Marit Shalem, Marianne Peijnenburg, Marije de Wit, Martijn Benders, Marie Civikov, Matthias Pauwels, Merlotte Snavelpaard, Menno Wigman, Nick J. Swarth, Nour-Eddine Jarram, Olphaert Den Otter, Ondine de Kroon, Pam Emmerik, Paul van der Eerden, Peggy Verzett, Peter J. Maltz, Peter Mangel Schots, Peter Swanborn, Roee Rosen, Rolf Engelen, Ronald Ophuis, Shahar Golan Sarig, Steven Graauwmans, Thomas Möhlmann, Walter Gerritsen van der Hoop, Wibo Kosters.

FEAR FACTORY 2012 – 2014 An interactive performance with audience participation.
Staged photos, (plasticine) sculptures, newspaper clippings, table and chairs, Printed forms, to be filled in with brief descriptions of the fears.

Every day we are overwhelmed by frightening messages and photos about the climate crisis, natural disasters, wars and terror attacks. I wanted to find out what the personal fears of people are beyond the general news. I invited passers-by to briefly describe their fears, using a form they had to fill in. I tried to visualize and ‘reconstruct’ their fears in colourful plasticine. The results were then photographed. Afterwards, as a ritual to dispel the fears, each participant was allowed to destroy their own ‘plasticine fear’. Each participant received, as a souvenir, via e-mail, a photo of the reconstructed fear. The performance was carried out at the Motel Mozaïque 2012 & SIGN 2014

FEAR FACTORY 2012 – 2014 An interactive performance with audience participation. Staged photos, (plasticine) sculptures, newspaper clippings, table and chairs, Printed forms, to be filled in with brief descriptions of the fears. The performance was carried out at the Motel Mozaïque 2012 & SIGN 2014