ABOUT
Tama Goren (b. 1978)
A self-taught artist living and creating in Tel Aviv.
I began exhibiting in 2011 and since then have presented ten solo exhibitions and participated in dozens of group exhibitions. My works are typically powerful, expressive, dark, and strange, often incorporating social criticism. I draw inspiration from European and Caribbean folklore, German fairy tales and children's books, stories from my family's history in Europe, Victorian botanical illustrations, American children's illustrations from the early 20th century, and other unique combinations of symbols and themes that aren't always connected to reality. The characters that define my work always find themselves entangled in tragic-comic narratives.
In recent work, I am exploring my local roots directly for the first time. As part of my focus in recent years on nature and urban nature, I paint flowers, fields, and local landscapes that appear on the verge of destruction, burning, or moments before an impending disaster. As in most of my works, the viewer discovers hidden human faces concealed in the landscape, looking back at them.
I work primarily with watercolors and materials such as paper, cardboard, wood, and even oil on canvas. The paper cutouts I began creating at age 12 take on new forms in peep-show boxes that combine my cutting abilities with painting. The "peep-show" or "peep-box" was a popular form of entertainment for the public in 17th century Europe, where street artists or peddlers would wander through cities with viewing boxes creating three-dimensional stories. I use the same technique to tell my personal and local stories.
In my recent works, I move from two dimensions to three dimensions, including through concertina books, transforming my paintings into three-dimensional representations through pop-up "greeting cards" that are both amusing and morbid. These were joined by small sculptures presented in my latest exhibition, displayed on concertina books, resembling paintings coming to new life.
The titles of the works have always formed a significant part of my creations. In recent works, I reference, among other things, well-known Israeli historical figures or general fictional characters that everyone feels they already know.
My main projects in recent years include an exhibition at Circle 1 Gallery in Berlin and publishing an artist book with poet Daniel Oz. In 2019, I presented a solo exhibition at the Joseph Zaritsky Artists House in Tel Aviv, curated by artist Tzibi Geva. Additionally, I presented a solo exhibition titled "The Long Dead" (2021) at the Midrasha Gallery in Tel Aviv, curated by Yair Barak, followed by the duo exhibition "Interested in a Double-Headed" (2022) with artist Avner Ben-Gal. My latest exhibition, "David Paints Children" (2024), was presented at the Chelouche Gallery for Contemporary Art in Jaffa, curated by Yair Barak, which I see as a second part of our ongoing collaboration.
Tama Goren (b. 1978)
A self-taught artist living and creating in Tel Aviv.
I began exhibiting in 2011 and since then have presented ten solo exhibitions and participated in dozens of group exhibitions. My works are typically powerful, expressive, dark, and strange, often incorporating social criticism. I draw inspiration from European and Caribbean folklore, German fairy tales and children's books, stories from my family's history in Europe, Victorian botanical illustrations, American children's illustrations from the early 20th century, and other unique combinations of symbols and themes that aren't always connected to reality. The characters that define my work always find themselves entangled in tragic-comic narratives.
In recent work, I am exploring my local roots directly for the first time. As part of my focus in recent years on nature and urban nature, I paint flowers, fields, and local landscapes that appear on the verge of destruction, burning, or moments before an impending disaster. As in most of my works, the viewer discovers hidden human faces concealed in the landscape, looking back at them.
I work primarily with watercolors and materials such as paper, cardboard, wood, and even oil on canvas. The paper cutouts I began creating at age 12 take on new forms in peep-show boxes that combine my cutting abilities with painting. The "peep-show" or "peep-box" was a popular form of entertainment for the public in 17th century Europe, where street artists or peddlers would wander through cities with viewing boxes creating three-dimensional stories. I use the same technique to tell my personal and local stories.
In my recent works, I move from two dimensions to three dimensions, including through concertina books, transforming my paintings into three-dimensional representations through pop-up "greeting cards" that are both amusing and morbid. These were joined by small sculptures presented in my latest exhibition, displayed on concertina books, resembling paintings coming to new life.
The titles of the works have always formed a significant part of my creations. In recent works, I reference, among other things, well-known Israeli historical figures or general fictional characters that everyone feels they already know.
My main projects in recent years include an exhibition at Circle 1 Gallery in Berlin and publishing an artist book with poet Daniel Oz. In 2019, I presented a solo exhibition at the Joseph Zaritsky Artists House in Tel Aviv, curated by artist Tzibi Geva. Additionally, I presented a solo exhibition titled "The Long Dead" (2021) at the Midrasha Gallery in Tel Aviv, curated by Yair Barak, followed by the duo exhibition "Interested in a Double-Headed" (2022) with artist Avner Ben-Gal. My latest exhibition, "David Paints Children" (2024), was presented at the Chelouche Gallery for Contemporary Art in Jaffa, curated by Yair Barak, which I see as a second part of our ongoing collaboration.