Agripas Gallery inaugurates its new space with two solo exhibitions by gallery members Bitya Rosenak and Miri Tlalim-Strauss, curated by Gabi Yair. The two exhibitions are part of the Jerusalem Biennale, whose theme this year, “From the Depths,” explores the
personal and collective unconscious. Tlalim-Strauss works from a place of intuition, contemplation, and a deep connection with herself, in a search for and exposure of a multilayered self-identity composed of
fragments of memories, rituals, and repressed events. She engages in the practical and metaphorical act of stitching together what remains from earlier works and objects, using them as surfaces and sources of inspiration for the creation of an authentic contemporary practice. The works that emerge speak of decay, deterioration, survival,
and growth against the backdrop of the events of our time.
The walls present abstract works employing mixed techniques and a shifting range of tones, conveying daring, confidence, release, and freedom, alongside an awareness of an unstable and threatening existential condition. On the floor lie sculptural forms resembling containers, rich in color and formal variation, which the artist created from remnants of painted works that had accumulated in her
studio over the years.
In one corner of the space, reproductions of a “transitional object” are scattered across
the floor. Varying in scale and tone, they are made from remnants of monochromatic
fabrics that the artist filled and stitched by hand. The original is an ironing cushion sewn
by her father for his work as a tailor, and which she has kept as an inheritance. The
original cushion is displayed at the head of the series, serving as its point of departure.
At the entrance to the exhibition space, a video work shows the artist speaking about
the series while demonstrating the processes of filling and stitching.
