About | Malka Inbal Photography

Malka Inbal

The human soul is the most fascinating thing that exists in my mind, an infinite riddle that shall never be solved; interminable layers that vary from person to person. From a young age I have been observing people, in an attempt to comprehend feelings and thoughts, relationships between people, according to their body language. I lovingly listen to intimate conversations and try to decipher the imperceptible.

In my photo series, I engaged mainly in the human soul. After I developed “a language of my own” unique techniques, a transparent and reflective tin foil screen, I acquired the right tools to examine the personal and interpersonal complexity, interaction between people.

In the photo series Mid Life I investigated the theme of femininity, from a complex angle, which explores several facets: a professional career (I design electric pole constructions as Senior Section Head at the Electric Co.), children, couplehood and the launching of a new career in art. I presented this series at the Efrat Gallery in Tel Aviv in 1997, and in Ein Hod in 1998.
This series also participated in the Photography Biennale in 2001, held in Laon, in northern France.

The series Fragments of Life deals with coping with personal crisis and has been accompanying me until its completion. This series was on display at several solo exhibitions in Israel.

In the series While we’re Together, I explore the complexity of couplehood in all its various aspects, out of a great love for my partner. This series was on display at various galleries in Israel and at the KOWASA gallery in Barcelona in 2001.

In Light of Shadows deals with relationships between people and was presented at the Museum of Photography Tel-Hai in 2001. I directed my photos from my many observations, akin to a mirror of human nature, according to my feelings and my interpretations.
Very often those who visited the exhibition were moved out of identification with the various works that they observed. Some of them even told me that the more they observed the photos, the more they discovered new things.

Fabric Delusion is the first series in which I embarked from the personal and familiar expanse to the social and public realm. Using shapes and colors, I sought to express my protest against something that concerns us as a society that tries to be “normative”.

For this series I chose to sculpt with organza fabric consisting of shiny, transparent patches that are exaggeratedly colorful. Using small pins and working very hard, I created shapes and silhouettes, which I emphasized in a very meticulous light work. The colorful show which materialized captivated the viewers, and the series opened many doors for me and provided me with new opportunities, and that is how I landed up the NOHO gallery in New York. After being accepted by the Admissions Committee I became an official member artist.

To a great extent, the series Paper Cuttings is a sequel to the series Fabric Delusion. The series constitutes a protest against the communications media, mainly against the credibility and deception that it generates. That is why sculpting with newspapers was a natural choice.

The series was on display at a group exhibit at an art workshop in Yavne, at the “Doker” exhibit, curated by Roni Reuven, and also at the NOHO Gallery.

The series From White to Gray is a return to the private and personal realm. I have reached the age of 50, and perhaps for the first time in my life, I feel peace of mind and completeness. Feelings of personal achievements, in all areas of my life, have led me to choose white fabric. The many layers that the different sentiments bring to mind have been expressed in shades of grey. I have expressed intimate feminine moments in this work, experiences which I felt from within myself and upon observing my close surroundings.
This series garnered great success both in Israel and abroad.
The series was on display at the Artists House in Tel Aviv, with an excellent curator: Irit Levin; it also received wide media coverage and people still remind me of that exhibit to this very day.
I chose it as my first solo series at the NOHO Gallery in New York, and there too I received excellent reviews in an article in Gallery&Studio Magazine and a selected photo in the Gallery Guide. One of the visitors at the gallery turned out to be the owner of the IZZY Gallery in Toronto, who chose several photos that were displayed and sold there.

Pathology of Rust is a very personal series. Within the calm and wholeness that age brings, emerged the anxieties regarding the Third Age….
My parents who passed away at a relatively young age caused me great sorrow and mourning and a “sea of longing”. But [back then] I was young and I feared nothing. Now, when the older generation of my family is not in the best of health, and some of them even passed away during the shooting of this series, fears slowly began to permeate. I chose large and rusty metal plates, upon which I screened silhouettes from daily life, resulting in the above photos.

I decided to display this series as my second solo exhibit at the NOHO Gallery in New York, which will be on exhibit there this May/June, 2013.

In Israel I received tremendous reviews from art professionals and the series will be exhibited here in the future.

I have been dealing in photographic art for nearly 20 years, in addition to my other work and hobbies, with the help of my supportive and loving family. I suggest examining the dimension of success in art, not only measurable things, such as a curriculum vitae, publications in the media and sales (even though I have had such successes), but rather what is not particularly discussed:

“What art has done for me as a person, for my personal growth….”.

“Art has allowed me to express my feelings and thoughts, has assisted me in coping with the hardships that life has in store for all of us. After all what is the importance of art if it doesn’t serve as a mirror of the artist’s soul and his or her distinct way of observing and examining things? “.

- Malka Inbal, April 2013