October 2013

Ciel Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Offers Works by Ilana Shafir and Other Mosaic Artists from Around the World

The work of world-renowned Israeli mosaic artist Ilana Shafir will be displayed in the Pattern Now exhibit at Ciel Gallery in Charlotte, NC, on view from Oct. 4 - 31, 2013. A reception will be held on Oct. 4, from 6-9pm. This event is free and open to the public as part of the Southend First Friday Gallery Crawl.

The exhibition curated by London leader in mosaic Emma Biggs will also spotlight her work and the work of other mosaic artists including: Jo Braun (USA), Sonya Louro Do Rego (Italy), Petra Kartak (Portugal), Mona Magdi Kenawy (Egypt), Toyoharu Kii (Japan), Sonia King (USA), Sandra Naxara (Brazil), and Julie Richey (USA).

Celebrated in art circles around the globe, Shafir is the grande dame of the modern mosaic world. Born in 1924 in Sarajevo, Shafir began to draw as a young child. Her high school studies in art and architecture were interrupted by the Nazi take over of the city in 1941. Though Shafir’s immediate family escaped to a small village in modern Croatia which provided wartime refuge, many of her extended family members died in concentration camps. In 1949, the family immigrated to Israel. Throughout these perilous years, Shafir continued to draw and paint in watercolor. After some time in Israel, she took up sculpture and mosaic art.

Shafir has pioneered the “Spontaneous” mosaic method allowing her materials to speak to and through her. As described in the journal Mosaic Art Now, “Shafir’s work is unmistakable. Powerful, flowing, joyful landscapes, cityscapes and creatures emerge from disparate pieces of stone, shell, glass, found objects and Shafir’s own ceramics.”(1) Never working from a sketch and with minimal pre-planning, Shafir taps into her lifetime of art practice and education. She relies upon “impromptu decisions that are based on inspiration in a given moment that may never come about again.”(2)

The festivities include a preview party with curator Emma Biggs (UK), An Evening of Wine & Mosaic, will take place Wed., Oct, 2, from 7- 9pm. Proceeds from the event will go to The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte; tickets are available at (www.cielgallery.eventbrite.com).

For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 704/577-6305 or visit (www.cielcharlotte.com).

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