Joëlle Zajfman
ABOUT ME
I grew up in France and arrived in Israel at the age of 22 to pursue my studies in physics . Although attracted to sculpture and material from a young age, it was only after completing my master's degree in physics and working for several years in research that I turned to art: beginning with sculpture and then adding jewelry design, largely influenced by my scientific experience as well as my fascination with the complexity of the forms and structure of the material I made a study of the intimate connection between the two, leading to the creation of an infinite repertoire of surprising patterns.
JEWELRY
My jewelry is born from observation of natural shapes us usually from living elements such as the structure of skin, wood or leaves, or by discovering the geological effects left by nature, on stones, mud or argil. I find inspiration in these basic patterns which I integrate in objects that are “wearable” producing beautiful designs that are connected to the force of nature. As most of my jewelry is made of sterling silver or goldplated brass, the main challenge is to represent the natural original structures, that are in reality much smaller or much bigger, within the given limitation .
In order to achieve this, I usually start to work with some raw material, cutting, bending and soldering or with wax, to create original forms that will later cast.
SCULPTURES
My sculptures are mainly inspired by women, particularly the intensity, power and delicacy of the female body. I am intrigued by the possibility of using hard material such as bronze or aluminum, to try to represent these sometimes contradictory characteristics as a whole. In a way, it is the combination of the hardness of the material, and the structure of the surface which often allow me to provide different aspects and angles which characterize the universality of the female body.