Shira Zelwer RA 2019
“I use art to glorify ordinary subjects and instances and thus compel the observer to focus on them in detail. I sculpt with raw wax, constantly exploring new ways to manipulate it and once shaped I paint it. The painting process brings the sculptures back to life, I paint the sculptures in a very precise and detailed manner, however, not perfect. I would like to allow the observer, when facing my subjects, often common objects, experience desire towards them and dwell on them.”
Made of wax and formed by hand, Shira Zelwer’s pieces simultaneously bring to mind craft work and souvenirs, Madame Tussaud’s glossy wax images, while conducting a dialogue with modern and contemporary sculpture. The sensitive and intense use of wax, a heartrending, humane, brittle and vulnerable material, transports to historical precedents.
The scale of the works also creates a tension. With slightly dwarfism proportions, bead eyes and innocent look, these are neither miniatures nor realist sized sculptures. More like a toy or a transfer object, originating from autobiographical elements, these works accurately reflect economic gaps, social sectors, self-perception and emotional frequencies.
