Medusa’s laugh

Yael Erlichman's home is a work of art, just like her award-winning sculptures.

Medusa (photo credit: Courtesy)
Medusa
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Hanging at the entrance to sculptor Yael Erlichman’s home is a bronze mask of Medusa with snakes and octopuses writhing in her hair. In ancient times, images of the Medusa’s head were stamped onto doors and suits of armor in the hope of dispelling evil and keeping it out of arm’s reach.
In the garden surrounding the artist’s house another female figure sculpted in bronze is immersed in a pool of water, covered with water lilies and green leaves, with only her upper body and legs protruding from the water.
The joy of life and the pleasure of creation imbue Erlichman’s works, alongside the evident desire to give expression to otherness and to the difference of the world. The artist enables us to catch a glimpse of the cultural legacy she has embraced, as well as her memories and dreams.
In addition to large-scale figures, Erlichman sculpts small-scale, roughly textured figures that bear the imprint of sweeping hand gestures, which crowd her home and studio.
Yael Erlichman, who participates regularly in exhibitions in galleries and museums around the world, has won first prize at the Florence Biennale and has numerous sculptures in public places in Israel and abroad.
The artist will hold an open-house event in her delightful garden and studio over two weekends, August 31 to September 1 and September 14 to 15, between 10 a.m and 7 p.m. Address: 12 Hagdudim Street, Ramat Hasharon. For more information about the artist, go to www.erlichmanyael.com