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A meal / installation of paper Maché sculpture - Naama Aaronson
The exhibition opens by focusing on the human being, presenting images frozen in time, in the same format as the artist used in her previous exhibitions. However, on this occasion the apparently independent characters are all focused on one topic: Food.
Throughout human civilization the meal has taken on a ceremonial dimension and became a symbolic status. Pesach or the Last Supper are examples of such meals, elevated above everyday life by the blessings recited at the table. Such significance should not be sought in the installation presented here. The artist maintains that she loves food, enjoys the art of preparing it and finds in it sensory pleasure, creativity and esthetics. Nevertheless she restores to food its basic and primary significance, and so the meal is presented as a colorful and sensual experience, and the joy of eating is seen as a sort of existence and survival. The culinary domain, which left the confines of the private home a long time ago, has now become a leading public and cultural pastime; exquisite dishes are served up at fancy restaurants and on festive occasions; cooking books top the bestsellers lists, advertisements and Television programs promote food and promise us that its various qualities will change our lives.
The characters featured in the installation are busy eating, the contours of their faces are missing because they are characterized by the food they eat, the manner in which they eat and their stylish clothes. The installation does not depict family members sitting down for a meal at home, as there is virtually no interaction between them: each figure appears to be disconnected from the next, concentrating on his or her plate and only the table remains as the connecting thread - the common denominator in this drama.
The images real-life size, the careful attention paid to the style of the clothes and how the food is served all grant the installation a dramatic dimension - grotesque and humorous. The exaggerated focus on food highlights on the one hand the images pathetic aspect, while on the other it raises the sense of criticism as part of a protest against this egocentric hedonistic activity.
The statues in their final format are the outcome of a long process of intensive reflection and study, involving the preparation of a web mold and then covering with many layers of newspaper strips soaked in glue. Naama does not paint her statues, the spectacular lovely color scheme stems from the use of colored paper as the final external layer.
Up until the early 1970s, paper was used only as a background for artistic creations. Pop artists who introduced materials and subjects from street culture and the modern consumer world, gave legitimacy to paper creations.
Paper, writes Naama, is accessible and immediate as my sources of inspiration. Material that is simple, primary and destructible when used at first, becomes rigid, resistant and complex, thus making it possible to create and express my people.
The use of paper for sculpture seems to contradict its perishable nature but surprisingly enough, it suits the installations nature and subject matter. The transitory nature of the organic materials stands out in contrast to the utensils used for eating, the authentic objects made of durable materials. It testifies to the temporary character of the situation portrayed here just as in real life. Only durable articles will remain after us and after the food that we have consumed.
Gabriel Maanit - Curator
"A Meal" was presented in the following places:
The museum tower, Tel-aviv; Wilfrid Israel museum, Kibbutz Ha'Zorea;
Ashdod city museum, Ashdod; Tower of David Museum, Jerusalem;
Municipal Gallery, Rishon Le'Zion; Ramat Gan Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat Gan
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