Special Recognition Art Award in Sculpture

Here are the juror’s comments:

“One thinks of sculpture as a weighted mass of clay, being brought to life by the hands and soul of the artist.  As a sculptor myself, I realized this viewpoint was myopic when I crossed paths with   Zahava Sherez’s “InBodied Light “.  As a juror for Spirit of Resilience, my criterion was shared with the show’s curator, Renee Phillips, early in the process.  It seemed pretty objective to me including beauty, strength, use of space and empathy.  Zahava’s work exemplifies all of these.  But how do I objectify that “hook“ that stops an observer from walking by, sparking their curiosity.  I have to say that it is her use of light, color and shadows, while depicting two figures, a man and a woman.   How does she achieve this beautiful, translucent, organic and ember-like effect with materials such as resin and polymer thread.  The weightlessness of her figures, along with the puzzle-like relationship between them, tells her story.  Her spiritual belief that “we are all one connected through light…that we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”  My beliefs as well, validated by my connection to her art.”