Shining DESPAIR
Sara Shahak
Israel

Necklace “Depth of gilded agony”, 2023-2024
Iron, Brass, Cotton waxed thread, pigments, 430x190x35mm
Cutting, Sawing, soldering, painting, threading
Photo : Shlomi Bernthal

« Flowers are weak creatures, naive. They reassure themselves as best they can. They believe their thorns are terrible weapons. » — The Little Prince

Can beauty or light emerge from brokenness and anguish? Moments of despair may offer only fleeting glimpses of hope, reflecting the fragility of the human experience.

I designed a large chain of iron thorn-like flowers. Their forms are sharp, rigid, and menacing, with textures that evoke feelings of pain, danger, and discomfort. Yet, at the tips of the thorns, I applied golden pigments, representing light, sparkle, and value—a radiance born from the sharpness of suffering.
The golden accents create a tension between beauty and suffering, as the gilded thorn tips embody resilience, while still can emphasize a balance between anguish and grace.

They suggest an optimistic notion that beauty and hope can sometimes emerge even from the sharpest edges of despair.

Or is it just a “gilded” hope?

This duality of fragility and strength, darkness and radiance, silence and expression, lies at the core of the work.

More « Shining DESPAIR »

Shining Despair – Arisa Inoue / Japan

It’s not uncommon for darkness to cast a shadow over the human heart.

Shining Despair – Katherine Mc Namara / Ireland

I have been saving the plastic packaging of my cigarette filters for several years.

Shining Despair – Deimezi Xenia / Greece

Behind and in front of what is visible.

Shining Despair – Anna Talbot / Norway

The series ‘Pressed Flowers’ is inspired by my memories of my grandfather’s garden from my childhood.

Shining Despair – Holland Houdek / USA

Words fail in the face of miscarriage.

Shining Despair – Malene Kastalje / Denmark

I am preoccupied with the unpredictable and abnormal aspects of life.

Shining Despair – Thu Huong Nguyen / Vietnam

Cicada in The Changing Age is my venture into embracing the rapid rise of technology …

Shining Despair – Aimee Howard-Clinger / USA

The western world can be defined by the adage ‘knowledge is power’.

Shining Despair – Eliane-Catrie Blouin Achim / Canada

With the Rose Cochon series, Éliane-Catrie Blouin Achim expresses a profound sense of despair.

Shining Despair – Eunhee Cho / South Korea

I have experienced two trials in my life.