Don’t Look at the Jar

In Russian culture, one of the common and popular customs of society is to buy others a bouquet of flowers, not just on birthdays. Russians love flowers. Much more than any bonbonniere, flowers are an expression of love, respect, gratitude, and luck.
As a child, I remember arriving at a Russian friend’s simple and understated home. In the dining area stood a table with a colorful tablecloth, a basket of small plates, and flowers in vases – simple flowers, which to me looked very festive. My friend explained to me that flowers were a priority for their family, because they felt that, even with little money, a bouquet of flowers will always make the heart happy ❤️
The work: “Don’t Look at the Jar” was conceived from this sweet memory, and the name of the work is taken from the world of stigmas often ascribed to Russians as people who are drunks / snobs / live with their grandmother in the living room / wear socks with sandals / eat pork / play chess and the violin etc.
We are now in 2024, experiencing the world after October 7th, when human morality went bankrupt. With anti-Semitism at peak, it’s time to understand we are all one people.
In this work, the flowers were first sculpted from Nesher cement bags, which are iconic objects in Israel. After creating the form, I used textile to create the composition, which I then painted with strong, vivid colors.