A Sheet of Cloth, A Concrete Beam

יריעת בד, קורת בטון

2011-2014
Mali Goldfarb's present body of work includes about fifty photographs presenting Tel Aviv's Habima Square and The National Theater of Israel (Heichal Hatarbut) over the last three years (2011-2014) during their construction and renovation. Most of the pictures were shot from inside the auditorium, through various on-site filters such as a glass pane, a sheet of cloth or a concrete beam, thus presenting a gleaming plaza alongside excavation, construction and infrastructure. In Goldfarb's photographs, the majestic Habima Square appears as splendor, the roots of which have given birth to a lost materialistic soul. The photographic syntax constitutes a multi-layered site, presenting a complex world of interior and exterior, smoothly surfaced with deep cavernous structures.


Goldfarb's work is not typical documentary photography, as it seeks to reveal exalted structures inherent in everyday reality. The outset of this series of photographs is an inquisitive exploration of the place, over the course of which its power is revealed in the broader sense, as an existential site. "The Place", a term synonymous with the Almighty, embodies the series' unifying power.

In her photographs, Goldfarb offers us a space of exaltation while at the same time recognizing the complexity of life – of difficulty, of effort, and of toil. She constructs a world that works in according to a religious principle even though its elements are secular; a beauty which fully recognizes the gravity of daily life, outlining the social gap between that which is under construction and that which is already built; however, its innocence remains unharmed. In Mali Goldfarb's own words: "Love can be found in any object, but it is not always evident; that is what I do."

Hadas Yossif-On
גוף‭ ‬העבודות‭ ‬הנוכחי‭ ‬של‭ ‬מלי‭ ‬גולדפרב‭ ‬כולל‭ ‬כחמישים‭ ‬תצלומים‭ ‬המציגים‭ ‬את‭ ‬כיכר‭ ‬התרבות‭ ‬של‭ ‬תל‭ ‬אביב‭ ,‬רחבת‭ ‬הבימה‭ ‬המחודשת‭ ‬ואולם‭ ‬היכל‭ ‬התרבות‭ ,‬בזמן‭ ‬הבניה‭ ‬והשיפוצים‭ ‬שלהם‭ .‬רוב‭ ‬התמונות‭ ‬צולמו‭ ‬מתוך‭ ‬היכל‭ ‬התרבות‭ ,‬מבעד‭ ‬למסכים‭ ‬קיימים‭ ‬כזגוגית‭ ‬חלון‭ ,‬כיריעת‭ ‬בד‭ ,‬או‭ ‬כקורת‭ ‬בטון‭ ,‬והם‭ ‬מציגים‭ ‬רחבה‭ ‬נוצצת‭ ‬לצד‭ ‬עבודות‭ ‬עפר‭ ,‬בניין‭ ‬ותשתית‭ .‬בתצלומים‭ ‬של‭ ‬גולדפרב‭ ‬נראית‭ ‬רחבת‭ ‬הבימה‭ ‬המלכותית‭ ‬כתפארת‭ ‬שיסודותיה‭ ‬הולידו‭ ‬נשמה‭ ‬מטריאליסטית‭ ‬אבודה‭ .‬תחביר‭ ‬התצלומים‭  ‬מרכיב‭ ‬אתר‭ ‬מרובד‭ ,‬המציג‭ ‬עולם‭ ‬סבוך‭ ‬של‭ ‬פנים‭ ‬וחוץ‭ ,‬שלו‭ ‬פני‭ ‬שטח‭ ‬חלקים‭ ‬ומבני‭ ‬עומק‭ ‬אפלים‭.‬

עבודתה‭ ‬של‭ ‬גולדפרב‭ ‬אינה‭ ‬עבודה‭ ‬תיעודית‭ ‬מובהקת‭,‬שכן‭ ‬היא‭ ‬מבקשת‭ ‬לחשוף‭ ‬מבנים‭ ‬נשגבים‭ ‬הטמונים‭ ‬במציאות‭ ‬היומיומית‭. ‬ראשיתה‭ ‬של‭ ‬סדרת‭ ‬התצלומים‭ ‬בחקירה‭ ‬סקרנית‭ ‬של‭ ‬המקום‭, ‬שבמהלכה‭ ‬נחשף‭ ‬כוחו‭ ‬של‭ ‬המקום‭ ‬במובן‭ ‬רחב‭ ‬יותר‭ ,‬כאתר‭ ‬קיומי‭.‬

‭"‬המקום‭ ,"‬שהוא‭ ‬גם‭ ‬כינוי‭ ‬לאלוהים‭ ,‬הוא‭ ‬הכוח‭ ‬המאחד‭ ‬של‭ ‬הסידרה‭ .‬בתצלומיה‭ ‬מציעה‭ ‬לנו‭ ‬גולדפרב‭ ‬מרחב‭ ‬של‭ ‬התעלות‭ ‬תוך‭ ‬הכרה‭ ‬במורכבות‭ ‬החיים‭ ,‬בָּקושי‭ ,‬בָּמאמץ‭ ‬ובעבודה‭ .‬היא‭ ‬בונה‭ ‬עולם‭ ‬שפועל‭ ‬על‭ ‬פי‭ ‬עיקרון‭ ‬דתי‭ ‬גם‭ ‬אם‭ ‬מרכיביו‭ ‬הם‭ ‬חילוניים‭ .‬זהו‭ ‬יופי‭ ‬שמכיר‭ ‬את‭ ‬חיי‭ ‬היומיום‭ ‬על‭ ‬כובד‭ ‬משקלם‭ ,‬משרטט‭ ‬את‭ ‬הפער‭ ‬החברתי‭ ‬שבין‭ ‬הנבנה‭ ‬לבנוי‭ ,‬אך‭ ‬תמימותו‭ ‬אינה‭ ‬נפגעת‭ .‬במילים‭ ‬של‭ ‬מלי‭ ‬גולדפרב‭ ,‬אהבה‭ ‬נמצאת‭ ‬בכל‭ ,‬אבל‭ ‬לא‭ ‬כל‭ ‬הזמן‭ ‬רואים‭ ‬אותה‭ .‬זה‭ ‬מה‭ ‬שאני‭ ‬עושה‭.‬

‭ ‬הדס‭ ‬יוסיף–און‬