Curator: Šárka Koudelová

The composition of two hand-sewn puppets with a bow, bearing a symptomatic title
Hangover, clearly indicates the archetypal mythological figure of William Tell and perhaps even
more significantly points to the iconic performance by Marina Abramovič and her partner Ulay,
which just gone fatally wrong. A mixture which has overcome all the thesis about the postmodern
a long ago. A mixture of already quoted quotations, mannerist stylization, malevolent tragicomedy
or in contrary a kind irony, but also a biblical cannon and a cultural archetype. Such as that are the
hand-sewn soft sculptures made by the art duo Merav Kamel and Halil Balabin and that is exactly
how the contemporary world seems to be like. Current atmosphere of uncertainty, general fluidity
and relativization of nomenclature, brings together at least one solid term – „anxiety is the new
black“. Anxiety stemming from world cultural conflicts, rewriting terms and finding out that the
foundations of our proud society are not that solid as they seemed to be, is also the subliminal
bottom line of otherwise visually kind, high-aesthetic and ergonomic stylization of these small
hand-sewn soft sculptures.

Merav and Halil come from a place, which seems to be an essence and concentrate of all the
social circumstances mentioned above. Thousands of years of mixing religions, the earliest
foundations of the world culture and, above all, the ongoing conflict, in which events described in
the Bible and archaeological findings from AD have been seriously debated, as if somewhere
between Israel and Palestine have marked a spring from where the current mood spreads to the
world like the weather. The current forecast is unambiguous in its ambiguity – decent icons
become picturesque puppets and socio-political events resemble mannerist theatre in which
illusions exist only. It is historically proved that such a situation paradoxically creates a creative
space sparkling with surprising reactions. Merav Kamel and Halil Balabin, after graduating from
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, had both begun separate „academical” careers in
conceptual drawing installations. Their hand-sewn soft sculptures were initially made as their
common merch – a sales crafted article looking for their buyer at the Tel Aviv art markets.
However, the naturally used detached view and a domestic scale-like idols have caused the
opposite – these metaphorical objects have attracted serious art scene and merged into the
syncretical creative line of both artists. Puppets waiting for their choreography and spectators have
become a kinder reflection of theatrical political gestures. Merav and Halil travel with them in the
suitcase from a place to place, from one institution to another and in the most positive sense of
the word they fulfill the idea of the nomadic theatre with a critical cantastoria.

The variations and combinatorics of the figural compositions seem to be an infinite and
inexhaustible stream in the creative strategy of Merav and Halil. The contemporary society creates
a reality so extreme, that it is possible to literally catch each mutation “out of the air”. Animal,
human, God – does it still matter? The morphology of the figures reminds us of creatures similar to
scorpions, who, surprised runs away with their digitally sequential step of their paired limbs, when
we lift up a stone in the middle of a desert. They seem like they escaped through crannies from a
dystopian environment, where they have been exposed to negative influences, and in addition to
the distorted and mutated body made from the found rests of the discarded clothing, have
developed a spiteful sense for irony.

The hand sewing process of creating the puppets itself has a distinctive and almost messianic
context. Sewing together the found rests of fabrics is a meditative labour, which is not just a
method of trendy recycling, but also a strong intimate performance of healing holes with the most
common methods. Is any human able to patch the world? Is art able to fulfill the role of a
refreshing oasis, which alerts to problems in a peaceable, yet influential way? The name of the
exhibition Big Lake was taken from the song of the same name by Israeli poet, musician and artist,
Roy “Chicky” Arad. The artist who gives an impression of your friendly neighbour with a guitar
while moving on an incredible line between social criticism, participation on Bienalle di Venezia
and representation of Israel at the music contest Eurovision. In his lyrics titled Big Lake he calls the
listener to take of his t-shirt and go for a swim with him. Merav Kamel and Halil Balabin join to this
relaxing challange and prod us to make a few tempos in the waters of their imagination. Although
we cannot avoid the negative effects to our society, the Big Lake exhibition represents an
alternative place where all of us can meet to refresh ourselves after a long period of a devastating
stress.