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
EducationHolon Institute of Technology (HIT)
Bachelor of Fine Arts and Design, 2002
Miryam College, Tel Aviv
Course in Fashion Design, 2003
Solo Exhibitions
Reshafim Hall, February 2015
Granot Gallery, Curator Zvika Altman, March 2016
Embroiderer Breathes, Curator Shirley Rosenblatt Barlev, Aloney Abba, October 2021
Dance of Peace, Givat Haviva Gallery, Curator Anat Lidror, January 2022
Group Exhibitions
• Kuli Gallery, Tel Aviv, Curator Yuval Saar, January 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 Project, Curator Einav Baranes Eliassov, February 2017
• Dance – Rina Schenfeld, Tel Aviv Artists House, Curator Nurit Tal-Tenne, March 2017
• The Diaghilev Gallery Hotel, Tel Aviv, Curators Moshe Ash & Timna Ash, March 2017
• The Gallery at the Library of Tel Aviv University, Curator Hanita Elitzur, May 2017
• Cuckoo’s Nest Gallery, Illustration Week, Tel Aviv, Curator Marina Pozner, November 2017
• Regional ID, Ramat Hanadiv, Curator Tamar Arbel Elisha, December 2017
• Hanina Gallery, December 2017
• GELEM, Totzeret Ein Hod Gallery, Curator Nadav Ariel, March 2018
• Israeliana, Yad Lebanim Gallery, Rishon LeZion, Curator Adi Angel, September 2018
• Mitachat LaPans, Givat Haviva, Curator Atar Geva, September 2018
• Aroma Art Project, Curator Einav Baranes Eliassov, October 2018
• Mitachat LaPans, Givat Haviva, Curator Atar Geva, October 2019
• Making of the Making, Omer Tirosh Gallery, Curators Mor Reshef Sivan & Rei Dishon, November 2019
• Creating a Place, Curator Revital Silverman Green, The Founders 100, Zichron Yaakov, March 2021
• Pink & Gold, Florentine Gallery, Tel Aviv, Curators Miri Lev & Micha Sela, May 2021
• Golden Magic, ND Gallery, Ramat Gan, Curator Miri Lev, July 2021
• Dance of Peace, Sawyer Yards Gallery, Houston, Texas, December 2021
• To and From the House, Zichron Yaakov Promenade, Curator Revital Silverman Green, October 2022
• Among the Birds of Jaffa – The Mishna in Art, Askila Gallery, Jaffa, Curator Hanita Elitzur, November 2022
• The Sublime Porte, Via Sabra, Jerusalem, Curator Hadas Glazer, April 2023
• Birds of Eden, Beit Nir, Zichron Yaakov, Curator Isi Abekasis, September 2024
• Birds of Paradise, Beit Dror Gallery, Kibbutz Einat, Curator Yaeli Wekstein, December 2024
• Heroes, Kinneret Courtyard, Curator Yael Nitzan, February 2025
• Embroidery Workshop and Commemorative Exhibition, Beit Reizel, Kfar Saba, May 2025
• Comfort Object Project, Design Terminal, Bat Yam, Curator Michal Krasny, December 2025
“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.
