Judith Fleishman and Belu-Simion Fainaru: Ambiguous, Gabriele Rivet, Köln
An old refrigerator stands open in
the room and draws the eye to its unusual contents. Above the earth-filled
vegetable drawer hangs a child’s dress on a neon light. presentation
of the bride is the name of the work by Belu-Simion Fainaru (born in 1959).
Its originality and insistence refer to how many simple things can enter
into an ambiguous connection. Fainaru’s close relationship to his
homeland is expressed in the frequent use of earth from Israel. A playful
relationship to these things is also evident when the weighty and meaningful
material, in combination with men’s white underwear, takes on a humorous
dimension. The work of Judith Fleishman (born in 1954) has another type
of humor. While Fainaru’s preference for white materials lends an
aura of purity, Fleishman transforms everyday things into raven-black,
mysterious objects. With the so-called “flocking” technique,
she covers kitchen utensils, among other things, with a deep black velvet-like
surface. Rolling pin, colander and potato masher are blackened to become
completely unreal, hovering between extinguished tool and magical object.
The works of the two artists, who did not know each other prior to the
exhibition, enhance and strengthen one another’s effect despite different
outward manifestations. Both artists meet at the connection of the existential
and serious with the ludicrous.
Thomas von Taschitski
Köln, Germany
1995