LIORA KAPLAN

2022-23

Hand Carved Rosa Aurora Marble

Dimensions: 3.2 m High

The sculpture, commissioned by the Tel Aviv Municipality, represents the refinement of my sculptural language. The accumulated knowledge of shapes and patterns is translated into engraved textured layers on the colorful marble block. Positioned on the historical seam line, it serves as a local pillar for cultural spaces and times ingrained in its essence. It generates a space for gathering, contemplation, and observation amidst the hectic city center.

Autoclaved aerated concrete

61 * 71 * H109

2025

Wood, Rattan, Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC)

186(H)x121x151 cm /

73.2(H) x 59.4 x 47.6 in

2025

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), plywood, iron mesh and chain, polymer clay, wood

58(H)x120x44 cm / 22.8(H) x 47.2 x 17.3 in

Cone: 134x24 cm / 52.7 x 9.4

2025

Iron, iron mesh, and polymer clay

216x40 cm / 85x15.75 in

2025

wood, pumpkin, brass, and Israeli ceramics from the Karant factory

183(H)x30 cm / 72(H) x 11.8 in

2025

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), wood, brass, leather, plastic, rope and Israeli ceramics from the Karnat and Kadar factories

H264x40x30 cm /

H103.9x11.8x15.7 in

2025

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), stone, iron mesh and polymer clay

100(H)x40x20 cm / 39.37(H)x7.87x15.75 in

2025

Iron, wood, iron mesh and chain, polymer clay and ship rope

264(H)x40x30 cm / 103.94(H)x15.75x11.8 in

Rope part: 264(H)x46x88 cm / 103.9(H)x18.1x34.6 in

Upper part: 170(H)x40 cm / 66.9(H)x15.7 

2023

Wood, Brass, and found Israeli ceramics from Carmit and Harsa factories and the Atelier of Shulamit Miller

Dimensions: 131 H x 22 cm Diameter

The sculpture is one of the focal points of KMAC museum’s exhibition, ‘The lighthouse is Dark Between Flashes’. I see in it a closed system of exchange and energy - a source of light, small but significant. It was a great guide to capturing nuances that opened up new understanding about connections.

2023

Wood, Brass, Steal, and found Israeli ceramics from Kfar menachem, Mannes and Palceramics factories

Dimensions: 205 x 30 cm Diameter

This piece is the tallest of the exhibition at KMAC museum ‘The lighthouse is Dark Between Flashes’. A shaman’s talisman, an object whose purpose is communicating and initiating rituals. It looms over the viewer and creates immense tension in its presence. Its drastic waist evokes discomfort and a sensation of breath control that permeates from it to the bodies in relationship to it. The intention of orchestrating this discomfort is silence, awareness, and pause.

2023

Halila stone, wood and found Israeli ceramics from Kfar Menachem and Dar factories

Dimensions: 160 H x 26 cm

Part of a solo exhibition at KMAC museum ‘The lighthouse is Dark Between Flashes’. This piece marks my first experience working with stone. Choosing the stone and carving into it was a formative shift. The carving on the stone is an homage to the visual language of Kfar Menachem ceramics that is so pivotal in my previous work. The engravings are a form of identification to their particular makers and their moment in history. It stands stoic, luminescent, a relic from an imagined sacred space.

2023

Wood, Brass, Leather, Steal and found Israeli ceramic from Kfar Menachem factory

Dimensions: H 133 cm, 23cm Diameter

Clues of a lost language, a remnant of culture. I engraved on the leather my translation of the colorfulness and the patterns found on the vase. It has a cyclicality, with a rhythm of the overall form. Its own internal rhythm, different from others - like an inverted process, airy from below and dense from above. The sculpture has a kinetic element, where you can see it vibrating, balancing its weight. Part of a solo exhibition at KMAC museum ‘The lighthouse is Dark Between Flashes’.

2022

Glass, and found Israeli ceramics from Kfar Menachem, Kad-Yad and Karmit factories

Dimensions: 96 * 20 * 25cm

There is an internal flow that is created by the allegiance and merging of each part to one another. In this piece there is a strong presence of water, hitting a stone, leaving a trace. I can hear the dripping, see it in the textures and colors of the vases. It is also simulated by the glistening of the glass and throughout the entire sculpture. Part of a solo exhibition at KMAC museum ‘The lighthouse is Dark Between Flashes’.

2023

Wood, Brass, Steal, Leather, and found Israeli ceramics from Karnat, Beit Hayotzer and Harsa factories

Dimensions: 170 x 23 cm

This piece exists deeply within the imagined narrative that was behind the exhibition ‘The Lighthouse is Dark Between Flashes’. It’s a continuation of the narrative stemming from my previous fountains. In this iteration the water is only a memory, it has left its marks. It is frozen in time, a relic of an ancient city. Holding inside of it secrets and tales of the people who gathered around it. The base is made from a leather weaving technique I developed from my previous knowledge of the craft.

2021

Glass, Brass and Israeli ceramics from the factories of Kfar Menachem & Harsa.

164*73 cm

One in a series of eight fountains. Formally inspired by historical drawings of fountains, I define these vertical totems as essential still images of the process of change, in which the potential of the infinite flows. The title of this work is derivative of a quote by Kahlil Gibran: “In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans; in one aspect of you are found all the aspects of existence".

2022

Wood, leather & woven rattan and Israeli ceramic from the factory of Kadar.

247*28

The structure of this work holds a movement of its own, one that seems to grow from an internal flow. The sculpture, although still, holds dynamic energy. If you view it from different angles it seems to react, change and grow in different ways. I see weaving as a print of my stream of consciousness. I weave, undo and weave again while listening to the sculpture. The finished work is the fruit of the tension between my hands and the straw, each pulling in their direction. A sculptor's work is oftentimes bound in mere listening to the wishes of his source material rather than forcing preconceived ideas on his “clay”. In that regard the process itself is echoing the energetic vibration of this conversation.

The title of the work is chosen as a reminder to myself that I am not really in control of my practice and am only a channel for ideas that flow through me- “Nothing is built on stone; All is built on sand but we must build as if the sand were stone”. Jorge Luis Borges

2021

Wood, Brass and Israeli ceramics from the factories of Kfar Menachem & Karnat.

177*54*28 cm

One in a series of eight fountains, this work is very much bound to the concept of ‘still water runs deep’. The work holds a strong sense of internal strength, and although quite stoic I feel it carries with it a fervent presence. For that reason I chose E.E Cummings’s quote for the title: “Love is the voice under all silences, the hope which has no opposite in fear; the strength so strong mere force is feebleness: the truth more first than sun, more last than star…”

2021

Woven rattan and Israeli ceramics from the factory of Harsa

110 * 30 * 55 cm

As it often happens with Kaplan’s totemic sculptures, the starting point of the work, the ‘engine’ driving its creation, is the appropriation of an iconic Israeli vase, in this case a piece produced by the Harsa factory in the 1950s. While describing the ‘silent dialogue’ the artist had with this object, Kaplan compares the vase’s pattern to people walking through the desert as if their shadows could mirror places that belong to her consciousness. Following this thinking process, and guided by her intuition, the artist decided to realize this work in a facility located in the desert overlooking the dramatic cliffs of Arava. Within these premises, Kaplan started to weave its upper part, letting the work grow, organically; furthermore, the curves of this part were dictated by stones she found in the desert, marrying together natural elements with different characters. Following these premises, the creation of Ritual Whisper, is the outcome of a state of retreat – being created far away, in the desert – and of an intuitive process, manifesting the artist’s state of mind. As a kind of epiphany, while looking at this work in the aftermath of its creation, Kaplan was reminded of the Italian designer and thinker Ettore Sottsass, who once said “decoration can be a state of mind, an unusual perception, a ritual whisper.”

2021

Wood, Brass and Israeli ceramics from the factories of Harsa & Kad-Yad and the atelier of Bar-Adon.

178*60 cm

One in a series of eight fountains. Formally inspired by historical drawings of fountains, I define these vertical totems as essential still images of the process of change, in which the potential of the infinite flows.

The title of the work is derivative of a quote by Mocco Wollert -

“Love falls in love with love; comes like an echo sounding back, searches its mirrored shadow within a look. ”

Give Your Hearts, But Not Into Each Other’s Keeping

Colored woven rattan, Wood and Israeli ceramics from the factories of Harsa & Mannes

131*58*21 cm

The work is inspired by a photograph portraying an African shaman wearing a ceremonious costume similar to the shamans in tribes Kaplan has lived with. In the photograph the man is draped in a beaded costume that starts at the top of his head and lingers down to his knees. The title was chosen for the sculpture’s unique quality being made of two counterparts, each one independently standing on their own, yet seemingly “choosing” to be held together. The title of the work is derivative of a quote by Kahlil Gibran Jr. – “Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.” - Kahlil Gibran Jr.

2020

Wood, leather, glass, brass and Israeli ceramics from the factories Kfar Menachem & Lapid.

170 * 60 cm

Perpetual Becoming is part of a series of totemic sculptures based on juxtaposition of found mid 20th century modern objects with newly created elements, which are at times crafted by the artist and at times fabricated by artisans.

Formally inspired by historical drawings of fountains, these vertical objects are defined by the artist as “essential still images of the process of change, in which the potential of the infinite flows.” Furthermore the presence of historical artifacts, in this case iconic pieces of Israeli ceramic, charges these works with the aura of personal memories, from the artisans who created them to the individuals that owned the pieces throughout the decades.

As in other works from this series, its title is borrowed from an existing source, in this case, Hermann Hesse’s 1922 book Siddhartha: “They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.” 

Perpetual Becoming was conceived for the exhibition “Ground Water,” curated by Ravit Harari for the Municipal Gallery of Ramat Hasharon, a city near Tel Aviv. The exhibition explored the potential of water as a source of life and beauty; at the same time, it also highlighted the dangers that lay within it, as well as the threat its absence could bring. 

Kaplan’s work was presented on a glass surface covering the city’s historical water well, which became known due to a severe case of water contamination, one of the worst in the history of Israel. The dramatic display, on top of a deep circular hole, follows Goethe’s school of thought who once said “I call architecture frozen music.” Inspired by such a statement, the artist adds that “the water flow represents a potential birth and yet it embodies a stagnating wealth, waiting to be activated.”

2021

Woven rattan, Glass and found Israeli ceramics from the factories of Harsa & Karmit

105*20*15 cm

Lean in Softly holds a special place for me as it speaks to sound as a key component and medium within my work. I think of sound as a material within my studio practice. I employ it as a tool to focus and concentrate my thoughts during the creation of the works. Most of the sounds played are of medicinal ceremonies. Practice that is familiar to me from my time spent with shamanic tribes in Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador. Building on that and in line with Goethe’s school of thought- every vase holds a note frozen in time that it is waiting to be unleashed. As I juxtaposition one vase on top of another, or combine with other materials, I see these totemic shapes coming together as orchestral pieces.

The title of the work is derivative of a quote by Mark Nepo: “To listen is to lean in softly with the willingness to be changed by what we hear”.

2021

Wood and Israeli ceramics from the factories of Palceramics, Kfar Menachem & Netzer Kadarim

170 * 22 * 22 cm.

The work’s title is derivative of a quote by Constantin Brâncuși- "Simplicity is not an objective in art, but one achieves simplicity despite one's self by entering into the real sense of things.” I started working on this totem a year ago and through the year had shed more and more layers that I had panned fo it. Looking for its genuine and quiet voice I found that stripping it from any unessential decorative gestures made it true to itself and its form. Brâncuși’s saying felt fitting and and meaningful in contextualizing this totem. Formally Sense of Things was inspired by an image of Ruth St. Denis, an American pioneer of modern dance. In the image, theatrical Ruth plays the role of an ancient Egyptian ruler while seemingly having the presence and aura of a shaman. The same role that I feel this sculpture plays within the body of work that I fondly think of as a tribe of totems.

2023

Wood, Dates branches and found Israeli ceramic from Harsa factory

Dimensions: H 137 cm, 23cm Diameter

2019

Wood, leather, glass, brass and Israeli ceramics from the factories Kfar Menachem & Harsa.

160 *70 cm.

Israeli ceramics is an essential element of my practice. From a clay vase that belong to my father, an archeology enthusiast, to my close connection with the Kibbutz Kfar Menachem ceramics created in the 1960s, my work triggers, among other issues, the discourse around art and craft, the division between artist and artisan, between different disciplines, with a specific focus on the Israeli context. Through the appropriation of objects, which are not readymade but in fact works by other creative individuals, I unveils their “origins” and such act stands as a key element in my artistic practice. Ceramic vases reoccurs in my works, and I sees the figures behind them, their creators, as the “catalyst” for my sculptural actions. Indeed, the vessels constitute the starting and focal point for the sculptures, they are the physical and conceptual core of these works; therefore I see the original ceramic vases are sacred object, talismans, and as an artist, I put myself in the position of finding a set of rules that will preserve them, to enhance then, to give them new life.

In this work the "additives" I create for the vases, reloads them with different aesthetics and cultural contexts, originate at different time periods, not necessarily in their chronological order.

The work’s title is taken from Nam June Paik’s quote :

“Nature is beautiful, not because it changes beautifully but simply because it changes”

Creating this piece, had opened to me, the possibility of catching a moment of transition and fluidity in still object.

2019,

Mixed media. Wood base, hand carved wood cone covered with faux snake leather and Israeli Ceramic from the Kfar Menachem's factory.

250 * 25 cm

Israeli ceramics is an essential element of my practice. From a clay vase that belong to my father, an archeology enthusiast, to my close connection with the Kibbutz Kfar Menachem ceramics created in the 1960s, my work triggers, among other issues, the discourse around art and craft, the division between artist and artisan, between different disciplines, with a specific focus on the Israeli context. Through the appropriation of objects, which are not readymade but in fact works by other creative individuals, I unveils their “origins” and such act stands as a key element in my artistic practice. Ceramic vases reoccurs in my works, and I sees the figures behind them, their creators, as the “catalyst” for my sculptural actions. Indeed, the vessels constitute the starting and focal point for the sculptures, they are the physical and conceptual core of these works; therefore I see the original ceramic vases are sacred object, talismans, and as an artist, I put myself in the position of finding a set of rules that will preserve them, to enhance then, to give them new life. In Past is Present, as in other works from this series, the 1960s ceramic handcrafted vase ceases to be a typical Israeli decorative element and becomes a personal symbolic element that connects me to her intimate and political history.

‘Now and Never’ is about creating a quiet statement, the "additives” colors are integrating with the original vase, as if they are one. The title suggests a contradiction to the phrase “it's now or never”. In this work now and never can complete each other, offering a non compromising and eternal possibilities. I see it as a contemporary feminine tool (weapon, figurine), inspired by primitive forms of spears or lances. A delicate yet powerful ceremonial object.

2019

Painted Aluminium base, hand carved wood cone covered with leather and Israeli ceramics from the factory Kfar Menachem.

228 * 25 cm

Israeli ceramics is an essential element of my practice. From a clay vase that belong to my father, an archeology enthusiast, to my close connection with the Kibbutz Kfar Menachem ceramics created in the 1960s, my work triggers, among other issues, the discourse around art and craft, the division between artist and artisan, between different disciplines, with a specific focus on the Israeli context. Through the appropriation of objects, which are not readymade but in fact works by other creative individuals, I unveils their “origins” and such act stands as a key element in my artistic practice. Ceramic vases reoccurs in my works, and I sees the figures behind them, their creators, as the “catalyst” for my sculptural actions. Indeed, the vessels constitute the starting and focal point for the sculptures, they are the physical and conceptual core of these works; therefore I see the original ceramic vases are sacred object, talismans, and as an artist, I put myself in the position of finding a set of rules that will preserve them, to enhance then, to give them new life. In Past is Present, as in other works from this series, the 1960s ceramic handcrafted vase ceases to be a typical Israeli decorative element and becomes a personal symbolic element that connects me to her intimate and political history. This work is a constant search for a perspective in which the motif of time is not linear but exists in a multidimensional way; such search is in fact my motivation to perform the act of ‘extending’ the vases.

2019

Hand carved wood, polyurethane cast covered with hand stitched leather, metal details.

Work’s title is a verse from the New Testament which means that "divine" and "humane" are taken as one whole. There is a parallel between the divine and human worlds. The work functions as a ladder (perhaps Jacob’s ladder), between the high and low or as a portal through time.

The work contains hours and hours of repetitive work. The making has become a private ritual, Dialogue between man, material and action.

2019,

Painted Aluminium base, hand carved wood cone covered with leather and Israeli ceramics from the factory Kfar Menachem.

228 * 25 cm

‘Future is Now’ was created;../ for an exhibition named “Only Connect” exploring spirituality and pop-shamanism, curated by Thomas Rom. Ceramic hand crafted 60’s vase ceases to be a typical Israeli decorative element and becomes a personal symbolic element that connects me to my family’s history and my political history.

Israeli ceramics is an essential element of my practice. From a clay vase that belong to my father, an archeology enthusiast, to my close connection with the Kibbutz Kfar Menachem ceramics created in the 1960s, my work triggers, among other issues, the discourse around art and craft, the division between artist and artisan, between different disciplines, with a specific focus on the Israeli context. Through the appropriation of objects, which are not readymade but in fact works by other creative individuals, I unveils their “origins” and such act stands as a key element in my artistic practice. Ceramic vases reoccurs in my works, and I sees the figures behind them, their creators, as the “catalyst” for my sculptural actions. Indeed, the vessels constitute the starting and focal point for the sculptures, they are the physical and conceptual core of these works; therefore I see the original ceramic vases are sacred object, talismans, and as an artist, I put myself in the position of finding a set of rules that will preserve them, to enhance then, to give them new life.

2019

18 hand sculpted polymer clay hands over painted and printed wood.

60*60 cm

The work is a series of three works, taking its name from Terence McKenna’s lecture: “Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.”

The works represent metamorphosis of a snake shape into a circle of hands. From self-healing to the power of a supportive community.

The background texture imitates a specific embroidered fabric that I came across while traveling in India. The Fabric is called Phulkari, it is made by women, for women, at important junctures in their lives: birth, marriage, etc. The aspiration was keeping the delicacy and gentleness of the fabric. By imitating it with a digital print i doubt the idea of what significance has hand made, feminine and decorative-art to art.

In contradiction to the background a I created each of the hands by hand as a tribute to the meditative process i went through while working on it.

I feel that I need to be a channel in my work. To always connect, to always let life go through meinto the studio, into my work, into my practice. To always be in a flow state as I create, so something greater, bigger than me, that is all truth can just flow through.

2019

16 hand sculptured polymer clay hands over painted and printed wood.

60*60 cm

The work is a series of three works, taking its name from Terence McKenna’s lecture: “Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.”

The works represent metamorphosis of a snake shape into a circle of hands. From self-healing to the power of a supportive community.

The background texture imitates a specific embroidered fabric that I came across while traveling in India. The Fabric is called Phulkari, it is made by women, for women, at important junctures in their lives: birth, marriage, etc. The aspiration was keeping the delicacy and gentleness of the fabric. By imitating it with a digital print i doubt the idea of what significance has hand made, feminine and decorative-art to art.

In contradiction to the background a I created each of the hands by hand as a tribute to the meditative process i went through while working on it.

I feel that I need to be a channel in my work. To always connect, to always let life go through meinto the studio, into my work, into my practice. To always be in a flow state as I create, so something greater, bigger than me, that is all truth can just flow through.

2017

Airbrush painting on fibreglass cast.

Readymade wood and stainless steel hanger. 

207 * 85 cm

This is the first work from the series 'I am a Strange Loop’. Through this series I was experimenting with new ideas that later became the bread and butter of my artistic search:

The idea of combining ready made objects with elements that I create. Exploring cognitive-scientist Douglas Hofstadter's argument of self- reference, which I later refer in my work as “Authenticity”.

The search for understanding the relationship between pop and shamanism, later referred to as the concept of pop-shamanism.

2017

Painted brass, painted aluminium hula hoop and a lamp

105 cm diameter