Unique exhibition of dolls "Arts and Crafts", Israel 2021
"I put the craft at the foot of the art ..." A.S. Pushkin. "Mozart and Salieri"
Dear friends! In Herzliya, in the exhibition hall of the Arena canyon, there is an amazing and unique puppet exhibition “Arts and Crafts”.
How is it remarkable?
The one that opened right now, despite the rockets and sirens. The people have come, a lot of people! And they enjoy, and smile, and enjoy, and thank!
What else is unique about the exhibition?
For example, this is the second major (73 masters, of which 22 are Israeli) exhibition in six months. Anyone who has ever organized an event of this level in today's conditions, when dolls come by mail, since the masters themselves cannot come, will appreciate the scale of the work and the level of skill of the curators.
In addition, and this is also unique, despite the tight deadlines, there is not a single work at the exhibition that would have been exhibited in these walls earlier! ALL WORKS ARE NEW!
The most important thing is the highest level of work.
This is especially true in Israel, the country of the victorious hand-made (hand-made is a good thing, but we are not talking about it now, but about the fact that people often confuse homemade homemade products with works of art).
And here we come to the main thing: to the "tactical" and "strategic" goals of the exhibition.
Tactical goals are common: to let the public enjoy the magnificent exhibits, and to communicate with puppeteers and get a new impetus to their creative flight.
But for strategic purposes, there is a zest.
This exhibition is a kind of manifesto-affirmation of the indissoluble unity of craft (skill in this case) and real art.
What is mastery?
I have a simple definition: this is when there is no gap between the idea and the hands.
I did what I planned. You want the doll to float in the air - and it floats. If you want it to cause tears or laughter, or to suggest strictly certain thoughts - this is how it happens.
Your world is your laws!
You know what material to take, how to achieve the desired feeling, how to contact the audience ... You don't go with the flow. You create a flow of thoughts, feelings and images.
The main thing is not to play too much while enjoying your confident skills. This is where the line is drawn between craftsmanship and art. The result will depend not only on the technique, but also on the depth of the artist's intention and idea.
A masterfully embodied, deep idea will result in a work of art that can touch the feelings and thoughts of the viewer.
Such dolls are curated Elena Kunina selected for the exhibition. That is why I will not write about each of them in these preliminary notes. Each work deserves, if not a separate article, then at least a separate paragraph. I promise to write about as many excellent works as possible.
Just look at the photo, we will analyze it later.
At the slightest opportunity, dear lovers of designer dolls, visit this exhibition. It is worth coming to see the work of puppeteers from Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Austria, Spain, England, Lithuania.
The exhibition runs from 13 to 22 May, at the Arena Gallery, HaShunit 2, Herzliya, Israel.
It should be noted that in addition to art dolls (there are most of them here), the exhibition also presents traditional crafts (ceramics, felting, embroidery, jewelry).
The level of skill and originality of these works allows us to speak of them as works of art.
Watch and enjoy! Waiting for you!
In the title photo: Vyacheslav Samsonov, dolls of Valeria Bondarenko.
Olga Bystrova
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