Israeli artist Zemer Peled’s collection of textured sculptures will make you do a double take. From a far distance, one might cast off the pieces as grandiose, albeit funky coral and floral arrangements. Upon closer inspection, though, the pieces will interrogate everything you thought you knew about porcelain. The artist has a mesmerizing collection of porcelain sculptures that assume the form of oversized florals and coral reefs — ones defined by dramatic spikes.
“Maldives Vibes” towers at 72 x 36 x 36 inches and assumes the form of coral reefs found underwater. The whites, reds, and oranges give it that full effect. “In Eden,” a collection of six corals in green, red, orange, and blue, follows the same effect, but the sizing is a bit more scaled down. Another piece, “Intertwine,” towers at 21 x 16 x 21 inches and takes the form of intertwined, curved vines in all white.
Because art often imitates life, Peled also sculpted a series of meta coronavirus-themed porcelain sculptures. Sculpted to take the form of the coronavirus cell, Peled designed “Coronavirus 1” and “Coronavirus 2,” the first of which in a dramatic red and black and the second of which in a bold yellow and red. Peled’s sculptural pieces are available to browse on her online shop and Artsy. On Peled’s shop, the grandiose “Coronavirus 1” and “Coronavirus 2” sold for a whopping $2,600 and $4,800, respectively.
Peled’s pieces examine the “beauty and brutality of the natural world,” according to the artist’s bio. Drawing inspiration from her surrounding landscape and nature, Peled engages with themes of “memory, identity, and place.” The pieces are formed from thousands of little porcelain shards constructed into large scale installations. Follow Peled on Instagram to keep up with her work.
