Ayala Serfaty
Kuramura Pollock, Black and White, 2020
Handmade nuno felt in wool, linen and silk fibers, steel structure
H 28.3 x L 43.3 x W 37.4 in
H 72 x L 110 x W 95 cm
Seating height 16.5 in
H 72 x L 110 x W 95 cm
Seating height 16.5 in
Further images
'Kuramura Pollock' is a unique, collectible design armchair entirely handcrafted by Ayala Serfaty in her workshop in Tel Aviv. Like a painter the artist creates a unique felt for each...
'Kuramura Pollock' is a unique, collectible design armchair entirely handcrafted by Ayala Serfaty in her workshop in Tel Aviv. Like a painter the artist creates a unique felt for each piece, combining wool, linen and silk fibers that she mixes together in different layers to build custom colors and texture. Resembling a marble rocky surface but very soft to the touch, 'Kuramura Pollock' features a black and white pattern evoking Jackson Pollock's drippings. Defying he usual sensory frontiers while incarnating the physical, terrestrial character of life, 'Kuramura Pollock' looks like it is breathing and is completely alive.
Renowned for her ‘Soma’ sculptural light sculptures, notably included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art permanent collection, Ayala Serfaty has been developing a collection of conceptual seats since 2010. Her work has been described by scholars as ‘multi-disciplinary’, as ‘fusion of art, craft, and design’, and as defusing the line between the natural and the abstract. Her approach focuses on ancient traditions, striving to revive their spirit and energies in unorthodox, unexpected, and innovative manner.
The materiality of textile came to inform her work from its very beginning. “I started out with felt when I went to a Joseph Beuys exhibition in London in 1985. Now I produce it myself. I was trained as a painter and for me, the value of felt – historically, culturally, and artistically – means that I can treat it like a painting or a sculpture. First, I sculpt the polyurethane foam over the metal structure. Next I figure out the shape of the garment so that it will totally cover it. I don’t cut a piece of fabric – I make the entire cover in one piece. Each one is unique, and with no fitting. I make the colors I need, mixing silk with wool and linen in different percentages”.
Ayala Serfaty has exhibited in museums worldwide such as the London Design Museum, the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York, le Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, just to name a few. Her work is included in the permanent collections of numerous museums in the US: Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Museum of Arts and Design in New York, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Mint Museum, Corning Museum of Glass, Indianapolis Museum of Art.
Renowned for her ‘Soma’ sculptural light sculptures, notably included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art permanent collection, Ayala Serfaty has been developing a collection of conceptual seats since 2010. Her work has been described by scholars as ‘multi-disciplinary’, as ‘fusion of art, craft, and design’, and as defusing the line between the natural and the abstract. Her approach focuses on ancient traditions, striving to revive their spirit and energies in unorthodox, unexpected, and innovative manner.
The materiality of textile came to inform her work from its very beginning. “I started out with felt when I went to a Joseph Beuys exhibition in London in 1985. Now I produce it myself. I was trained as a painter and for me, the value of felt – historically, culturally, and artistically – means that I can treat it like a painting or a sculpture. First, I sculpt the polyurethane foam over the metal structure. Next I figure out the shape of the garment so that it will totally cover it. I don’t cut a piece of fabric – I make the entire cover in one piece. Each one is unique, and with no fitting. I make the colors I need, mixing silk with wool and linen in different percentages”.
Ayala Serfaty has exhibited in museums worldwide such as the London Design Museum, the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York, le Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, just to name a few. Her work is included in the permanent collections of numerous museums in the US: Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Museum of Arts and Design in New York, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Mint Museum, Corning Museum of Glass, Indianapolis Museum of Art.