Originally from Israel, Beck-Friedman’s eloquent forms demonstrate the implied definition of the Hebrew word for edge, “sapha,” meaning both “lip” and “language.” The subtly modulated edges express the rhythmic, undulation of natural forms, unite the component figures in an intimate sculptural group or community, and silently encourage the participation of the viewer. In an artist statement, Beck-Friedman emphasizes the significance and strength of the edge in her work and asserts that, “the primal power of the edge creates a dialogue between the object and the viewer.”
In 1976, Tova Beck-Friedman earned her MFA from Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont. Between 1982 and 1984, Beck-Friedman studied art in Japan. It was here that she shifted her focus from painting to sculpture. She began to arrange her figures into rhythmic groups that determined the spatial landscape and choreographed the physical interaction between the viewer and the sculpture. Beck-Friedman’s figures are both the actors and setting for a “transformational” stage where the viewer becomes the protagonist.
Over the past twenty years, she has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions: Yeshiva University Museum, New York City, NY; Photo-graphic gallery, New York City, NY; Amos Eno Gallery, New York City, NY; Gallery Q, Tokyo, Japan; Tokyo American Cultural Center, Tokyo, Japan. Her work is found in public collections all over the globe, including: Herzliya Museum, Herzliya, Israel; Cesky Krumlov Cultural Foundation, South Bohemia, Czech Republic; Morning View, Gulgong, NSW Australia; Fukuoka Town Hall, Gifu-Ken, Japan; National Artist Library of Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK; Museum of Modern Art Library, New York City, NY; National Gallery of Library Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.; Cedarhurst Sculpture Park, Mt. Vernon, Illinois; among many more. She has participated in the Boleslawiec International Ceramic Symposium, Poland (2004 and 1996); the Geumgang International Nature Art Biennale, Korea (2003); International Biennal, Be’er-Sheva, Israel (1997); and is the recipient of various awards. Recently, she has explored film-making and contributed to the PixelDance Video Art Festival 2005 held in Thessaloniki, Greece and to the Detroit International Film and Video Festival 2005.
