Zemer Peled was born and raised in a kibbutz in the northern region of Israel. A 2012 graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, Peled states her work explores a “specific” reading of nature; she creates forms which are reminiscent of shattered, dense landscapes both real and imagined. She describes her works as mutating figure-like creatures. We can see this in pieces like I am Walking in a Forest of Shards, which appear to be columns of wind-blown ceramic fragments, or in Still. Life, a composition of a vase and candlesticks caught in the process of liquefaction.
At first glance there is nothing new. We have seen wobbly vessels and shard structures often enough for decades. But her handling of these devices make them seem entirely fresh. Her shard sculptures, have a grace and softness of movement that is quite unique. They flow effortlessly like the fur of a groomed animal ruffled by a breeze. And her take on the blue and white vase is surreal and zoomorphic. This is a fully-arrived artist worth following.
Peled is currently in a two-year residency at the Archie Bray Foundation and she was awarded a prize by the South Place Hotel in London to build a black and white ceramic shard sculpture on the hotel’s ground floor, coinciding with the hotel’s opening.
Bill Rodgers is a Contributing Editor at CFile.
Above image: Zemer Peled Throwing Clay on the Wall, 2012. From a site-specific solo exhibition in Israel, The Third Tree on the Left. Peled writes that the works in the show were made in an old sheep pen which had been converted into a studio and gallery space. The show was curated by Yaniv Shapira and Peled created works for the show using tools she found and collected near the space.
Zemer Peled, from I am Walking in a Forest of Shards, 2012. These sculptures which showed at the Henry Moore Gallery were made from thousands of ceramic shards. Peled writes that she made layers of white and black clay, fired them and smashed them to pieces. She formed the shards into sculptures, “(creating) new life out of the chaos of broken fragments.” Photographs by Sylvain Deleu.
Zemer Peled, untitled pieces from Blue & White, 2013. Photographs by Eran Turgeman.
Zemer Peled, Untitled, 2012.
Zemer Peled, Still. Life. Peled states of the work, “These objects were once a classical still-life composition of a porcelain vase and candlesticks, but now they are melting, transforming into something else. We are all chasing after a better place – after the dream.”
Dear Ms. Peled:
I admire your work greatly. I too love shards. I’m a gourd artist and I can’t bring myself to throw away any part of a gourd. I covered the door to our rustic cottage gallery in gourd shards. Nothing on the scale or fabulousness of your work, but perhaps I understand a bit of your obsession.
Peace, piece, shard, and best wishes,
jan meng
Thanks for the input, Jan!