Tova Beck-Friedman sculpts space--her works consist of dynamic configurations of multiple, discrete elements whose individual forms invite figurative and architectural interpretation and collectively suggest a psychological space that is activated through the interaction of the viewer.  Originally from Israel, Beck-Friedman’s eloquent forms demonstrate the nuanced 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.” (1)  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.

Much of her body of work reflects and celebrates the monumental feminine through the lens of ancient and modern archetype and myth.  Through her sculpture, Excerpts of a Lost Forest: Homage to Ashera, Beck-Friedman displays her close ties with her Hebrew heritage, with nature, and with the concept of the eternal feminine.  The name “Ashera” refers to the ancient Hebrew goddess who was revered in groves.  This piece is intended to be a tribute to those who suffered through the atrocities of the Holocaust.  Although the five tubular pieces are placed apart, they are closely related and interact with one another.  Theirs is an anguished attempt to communicate.  Creating her pieces so that they resemble trees connects them to their environment and natural setting in the garden.  Beck-Friedman gives gender to her piece with elongated crevices carefully sculpted into each of the five elements.  These erotic slits seemingly connote female figures. Rather than suggesting the womb or birth, the deep hollows seem to intimate decay and death.  Her work stands with great presence as a monument to unspeakable suffering.

In 1976, Tova Beck-Friedman earned her MFA from Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont.  Between 1982 and 1984, she studied at Tama University of Art, Tokyo, Japan where she switched her concentration from painting to sculpture.  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; Boleslawiec Museum, Poland; 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.

More information on this artist can be found at http://www.tbfstudio.com/.

(1) Margaret Sheffield, “Rhythm and Metaphor: Tova Beck Friedman,” Sculpture Magazine, Summer 1998, 12-13.

Excerpts of a Lost Forest: Homage to Ashera, 1992
ferro-cement, vinyl concrete, black pigment
five elements, each approximately 96" high
Courtesy of The Sculpture Foundation, Inc.
Photo: Ricardo Barros.com