Description

The sculpture by artist Leora Kaplan titled “Sometimes There Is a Need for Time” stands majestically as a decorated column, resembling a totem. It rises to a height of over three meters with delicate pastel hues gracing its entirety. It is composed of voluminous sculptural forms stacked on top of each other and decorative patterns etched on its polished and gleaming surface.

Location

The sculpture is located in a square between Yehuda Halevi Street and Railway Street, on the route leading from Jaffa and the first neighborhoods of Tel Aviv, tracing the city’s northward and eastward growth. It marks the historical boundary between the eclectic and naive architectural style of Ahuzat Bayit, Tel Aviv’s first neighborhood, and the International style of the White City buildings, symbolizing a milestone in the city’s urban development. By placing this vertical sculpture at this site, the artist artistically and historically refers to the surrounding architecture, including Beit HaDar, a horizontal building with flowing lines, Beit Phoenix which became an apartment building, and the towers that sprouted around them.

Historical Context

Beit HaDar, built in the 1930s by architect Karl Rubin (1899-1955), was the first commercial building in Tel Aviv, playing a significant economic role in transforming the city into a metropolis as envisioned by its founders. Thus, the location of the sculpture serves as a landmark to the city’s development era and a vantage point for observing urban changes.

The marble sculpture, situated in a public space, is a culmination, refinement, and celebration of the artist’s sculptural language developed over several preceding years. The series of sculptures, designed for interiors and resembling captivating totems, are a result of enthusiastic collection and in-depth research into the history of the Israeli ceramics industry, a flourishing enterprise that spanned decades in the mid-20th century before waning due to changing tastes and ideologies.

The totem sculptures were crafted from ceramic pieces with diverse, intricate decorations, joined together in surprising connections that accentuate their uniqueness and beauty in harmonic balance. They utilized various materials and traditional handcrafting skills from different cultures, acquired from personal experiences and collaborations with various artisans.

The marble sculpture, carved in Portugal, was executed by skilled marble sculptors and adorned with decorative patterns echoing the rich material culture of Israel. The artist’s accumulated knowledge, form, textures, and decorative motifs were translated into carvings and textures on the colorful marble block.

The sculpture’s title, “Sometimes There Is a Need for Time“, is taken from Karl Schwarz’s book “A Guide to Art“, paying tribute to the onset of modern culture and art in the city. Karl Schwarz, the manager of the Jewish Museum in Berlin before the Nazis came to power, was invited by Meir Dizengoff, the first mayor of Tel Aviv, to become the first director of the museum. Dizengoff’s private home, located nearby at Rothschild Boulevard 16, was converted into a museum by architect Karl Rubin, today known as the Independence Museum.

The sculpture, serving as a memorial to the times and places etched within and around it, creates a space for gathering, contemplation, and observation.

About the Artist

Leora Kaplan was born in 1974. She studied at the Midrasha School of Art and the Avni Institute and currently resides in Tel Aviv-Jaffa. She recently showcased a solo exhibition at the KMAC Museum in the United States, at the Center for Contemporary Art in Tel Aviv, and in many group exhibitions.