Artist in Focus: Liora Kaplan

July 22, 2020

Keeping with our virtual conversations, we have been checking in with our artists to understand how the recent pandemic has influenced their studio life and routine. This time, we caught up with Liora Kaplan to get a glimpse of the artist‘s studio, work, and thought process.

HOW DO YOU DRINK YOUR COFFEE?
Religiously.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST FASCINATED BY THESE DAYS?
I went into quarantine with my son mid-March, and nearly 80% of my time I was preoccupied with being a teacher, personal chef, assistant, and full-time mom, leaving me little time for creativity, but plenty of time for reflection. I decided not to create new works but to delve into inspiration. I gathered inspiring materials and printed them – they becmae a kind of card game through which I found new connections that I had no chance of discovering beforehand.

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WANTED TO BECOME AN ARTIST?
I knew from a very young that I was going to be an artist. I was very serious about it but the only problem was how unclear my direction was. This led me to study and practice so many mediums: painting, ceramics, enamel, weaving, silversmith, sculpture, etc… It was my life quest but only when I became 35 did I gain the guts to transform into a full time practicing artist. These days I call myself a sculptor.

DO YOU HAVE A STUDIO ROUTINE? WHAT IS IT LIKE?
I don’t do routines ?

CHOOSE AN OBJECT IN YOUR STUDIO THAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU. WHAT MAKES IT MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN OTHERS?
My father’s vase is in my studio from day one. I will forever love this vase. About a year and half ago I turned it over and learned it was made in Israel, in the sixties. I was sure it was an ancient one until that moment. The discovery drew me into an investigation about Israeli ceramics which is the core of my artistic practice today.

WHAT ARTISTS OR ARTWORKS ARE YOU MOST INFLUENCED BY?
Brâncuși would be my favorite artist of all time. Olafur Eliasson & James Turrell – a dream… and lately I remembered and digged deeper into the works of Rebecca Horn, Kandinsky and Oskar Schlemmer- all so brilliant and groundbreaking.

WHAT ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW?
Change Your Mind and Keep the Change by Steve and Connirae Andreas. An NLP method about extracting and manipulating your own personal timeline – fascinating.

WHAT CITY WOULD YOU SAY HAS IMPACTED YOUR PRACTICE, AND HOW?
When I was traveling through South America, I arrived at Cuenca where I encountered a large community of craftsmen and contemporary artists. I shortly became an assistant to a sculptor and painter who was well known at the time. It was through my roommate, an Ecuadorian young man who was practicing medicinal plants, locally known as sacred plants, that I was introduced to the local shaman. He taught me how to prepare the various medicinal formulas and how to reach the precise state of mind. I quickly became a part of this community and stayed with them for ten months. I believe this once in a lifetime experience and the opportunities I encountered in Ecuador are what led me to find and connect with my true voice, and I recognize the roots of that period in my art practice.

WHAT IS THE BIGGETS MISTAKE IN YOUR LIFE?
Getting married at the age of 24 after 3 months of dating

DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL LUNCH.
Take-out from Anastasia, always on point.

ANY ONLINE RECOMMENDATIONS?
The Tate channel on YouTube – best short films about artist, pure inspiration. Dave Chappelle stand up comedy – he is genius, sharp, and so so funny, all of his comeback specials on Netflix are worth seeing. Gilad Chana’s last special on Kan88 radio about the corona time is pure poetry respect.