I’m Keren Fargo Industrial Design and Art
Artist’s statement:
My main focus is drawing on various ready-made media such as paper, maps, fabrics, desk or dresser drawers, windows and doors etc.
I collect materials that I find discarded near my home and studio. I select the texts or backgrounds that interest and inspire me, then assemble and bind them together as a starting backdrop for my drawings.
Some of these old books are from the last century, printed on different papers using various printing techniques. Many are Hebrew language books on different subjects, among them poetry, history, agronomy, biology, geography and sometimes even prose.
Some of the pages I use tell the story of the Jewish people as a whole or individually. I use secular or non-Rabbinic literature only, never religious texts. Since the books I use are secular, the religious rules relating to the archiving and shelving of religious texts do not apply. The books and pages are beautiful and captivating in content, texture and type. The pages themselves lead me and help determine what I will create while preserving their own intrinsic features. As such, I can add another layer of meaning to the original content.
I draw mainly images of animals or plants, but am also inspired by elegant movement. The decision of what to create is based on my conceptual and emotional connection with the background.
I try only to enhance and respect the past while giving it a new meaning for today.
Resume
Education
Holon Institute of Technology
Bachleor of Fine Arts and Design, 2002
Miryam College, Tel Aviv
Course in Fashion Design, 2003
Exhibitions
• Exhibitions Reshafim, February 2015
• Kuli Gallery, curator Yuval Saar Tel Aviv January 2016
• Granot Gallery,curator Tzvika Altman March 2016
• Journey”, Tel Aviv Youth House Gallery, curator Itay Blaish April 2016 The Gallery at The Library of Tel Aviv
University,curator Hanita Elitzur May 2016
• “La Culture”, Kuli Gallery Tel Aviv curator Itay Blaish July 2016
• Aroma Coffee Art Gallery, curator Einav Baranes Eliassov February 2017
• The Tel Aviv Artists House ‘Dance- Rina Schenfeld’,curator Nurit Tal Tenne
• March 2017
• The Diaghilev Gallery Hotel, Curator Moshe Ash & Timna Ash Tel Aviv, March 2017
• The Gallery at The Library of Tel Aviv University, curator Hanita Elitzur May 2017
• Cuckoo’s Nest Gallery, Illustration Week in Tel Aviv, curator Marina Pozner, November 2017
• Regional ID, Ramat Hanadiv, curator Tamar Arbel Elisha December 2017
• Hanina Gallery December 2017
• GELEM Ein Hod Totzeret Gallery curator Nadav Ariel March 2018
• Israeliana, Yad Lebanim Gallery Rishon Lezion, curator Adi Angel September 2018
• Givat Haviva “mitachat lapans” curator Atar Geva September 2018
• Aroma Art project, curator Einav Baranes Eliassov October 2018
• Givat Haviva Mitachat Lapanan Oct 2019 Curator Atar Geva
• Omer tirosh gallery Making of the making, curator Mor Reshef Sivan, Rei Dishon Nov 2019
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
A story about ordering a painting
I felt like opening in books.
Everything flowed to me from the pile of books. Book after book, uncovered which do not hint at their contents and here the page I opened was relevant to drawing.
I felt like the ‘book opener’: when I searched for ‘compass’ I found ‘compass – make it yourself’, how suitable for the family spirit, when I aimed for ‘bud’ – everything was about a sign of renewal, growth and blossoming, when I wanted ‘spring’ – songs flowed to me from the sources From the best poets and when I pulled out a pile of maps – the first was a map of their hometown – Bull.
I realized that some hidden compass was leading me to put the puzzle together, so I just continued meditatively and the pages flowed to me, I was just worried about the composition {and mostly pasting without wrinkles}
When I also finished painting above, Ayelet noticed that one of the background paintings is the drawing on Oded’s tombstone, what’s the chance, huh? We got excited and yes, we cried a little too.
