Synecdoche

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In her article “A photograph is not an opinion. Or is it?” that opens “Women”, Annie Leibowitz’s

book of photography, Susan Sontag writes “each of these pictures must stand on its own.

But the ensemble says, So this is what women are now – as different, as varied, as heroic, as forlorn,

as conventional, as unconventional as this”. Sontag continues and says that the discussion of what is a woman,

what she can be and what she is supposed to want to be, is actually unique to women.

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These sculptures are my statement on women – on the specific woman, on the general condition

of womanhood and on the community of women. The sculptures create a female space

where loneliness and introspection, characteristic of the modern woman, exist simultaneously

with a degree of togetherness. It would seem that in the past this female togetherness was more

accessible in the daily routine. This mutual support seems to have disappeared in modern life and

has become more of a leisure time activity. Nevertheless, it is still an essential need in most women.

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Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, the response to the image of the woman in the different media,

still relates to exterior appearances in terms of social and cultural definitions of beauty and femininity.

Often when people view my sculptures, it is necessary to explain that the bald ones are also women.

Does the lack of hair (the conventional symbol of femininity) cast doubt on their feminine identity?

It appears that physical qualities are still seen as parameters for the evaluation of women’s femininity.

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In my work I aim to show a wide span of femininity – which includes women who are bald, thin, heavy,

young, mature – for I find them all beautiful. I am fascinated by them and I am in awe of the strength of their presence.

I present womanhood as multi-faceted. The softness and delicacy which exist do not diminish the strength,

determination, self-confidence and independence of these women. They seem to stand alone, facing the world,

bearing complex reality on their shoulders.

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Almost all the sculpted women are my friends. I photograph them in various poses and then sculpt them

with reference to the photograph. I try to suggest poses that might interest me but without dictating any specific one

I discovered that the way each woman poses expresses a certain essence of her inner world.

She characterizes herself and leads me to discover this core through the poses she chooses,

and in which she feels comfortable in front of the camera.