Black Gold, 2019, Esti Drori, Anat Negev - Eretz Israel Museum

Black Gold, 2019, Esti Drori, Anat Negev


Photos: Hadar Saifan



What


Clay, polymers, pigment; slip casting, ceramic castings, hand sculpting, painting


Who


Esti Drori, b. 1948; Anat Negev, b. 1957


Why



The work “Black Gold” represents an encounter between different worlds and cultures. This encounter is above all a product of Anat Negev and Esti Drori’s different backgrounds. Drori, whose background is in Classical studies, is interested in the contemporary reception of ancient cultures. Negev, an industrial designer, sees her works as products combining design and art. In this work, these diverse areas of interest come together in the form of hybrid vessels: their bodies are reminiscent of classical pottery, their gilded handles are inspired by Ethiopian sculpture or ancient Near-Eastern ritual figurines, and the black matted finish links them to the world of contemporary design. In this manner, Negev and Drori transform what they define as “images in danger of becoming extinct” into contemporary design objects that forge a connection between past and present. Their intentions and actions resonate with the mission of the Eretz Israel Museum: the revival and preservation of earlier cultures and processes, in order to reintegrate vanishing voices into contemporary discourse.







Where


On display at the Rothschild Gallery, Tel Aviv Biennale of Crafts & Design, MUZA – Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv.