Ironically, in order to construct one of Zemer Peled’s unique ceramic sculptures you need to first go through a process of deconstruction. Compiled from small porcelain shards, her sculptures remind us of flowers and coral.
Peled creates (or rather, smashes) these porcelain shards herself, using a slab roller. “I make sheets of clay, fire them, and smash them into pieces with a hammer,” she explained in an interview with CFile. “I love playing with the idea of the texture and the form can look airy, delicate, light and fluffy and to give a sense of flutter, as if my breath would break it. Yet, the hard and sharp shards can be seen as round and moving, and give a sense of softness.”
Through these deconstructed-to-be-constructed pieces, Peled aims to examine the beauty and brutality that can be found within the natural world. According to Peled, her creative process is also consistent with the Kabbalah concepts of Shevirah (breaking) and Tikkun (mending). “I make, then break, then make again. Chaos, destruction, and decay are intense and necessary creative process for me to create each of my sculptures,” she says.
Born and raised in Israel, her work has been exhibited internationally at venues like Sotheby’s, Saatchi Gallery (London), and the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City). She has also been featured in publications like Vogue, O Magazine, and Elle. But you can follow her creative endeavors also on Instagram.
