FRAGILITY
Galit Barak
Israel

The artworks feature red gravel stones arranged on a mesh net facing inwards. These stones were sourced from the area of Al-Kunayyisa, an Arab village that was occupied and ethnically cleansed in 1948. Today, the village’s ruins are difficult to locate, as they are surrounded by an industrial area.
Fragility emerges here as both material and emotional. The red gravel: small, breakable fragments, rests on a delicate mesh that barely holds their weight, echoing the precarious balance of coexistence and memory. This fragile structure mirrors the vulnerability of personal and collective narratives: how they can crumble or be rebuilt, how acknowledging the other’s pain exposes our own. The work embodies the fragile act of seeing, of allowing empathy to unsettle certainty and open the boundaries of belonging.
This piece from an ongoing series shifts the focus to explore new, fragile, but also joined narratives, to create a space to hold both narratives and opens up the possibility to reimagine a new future for living on the land.

Brooch « You Are Not Allowed To Hold All The Sorrow », 2024
27x43x260 mm / 28 gr
Stainless steel, gravel stones, sterling silver, cotton thread
Assembled

More « FRAGILITY »

Fragility – Denis Music / Ukraine

FRAGILITYDenis MusicUkraineFragility is a state of tension — between strength and collapse, between freedom and threat, between life and its disappearance. My brooch Black Cloud was inspired by the installation of Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Sai, which rose above the...

Fragility – Yasuko Kanno / Japan

FRAGILITYYasuko KannoJapanEven the most perfectly formed creation will one day perish. Glass and ceramics will shatter, metal will rust, and every living being will eventually face death. Although it often happens unexpectedly, in reality, it is predetermined from the...

Fragility – Juan Riusech / Spain

FRAGILITYJuan RiusechSpainAnd if the most fragile thing was our society ? What could happen if we go back to the dark Mid Age ? Brooch “Medieval II”, 2024100 x 150 x 7 mm / 36 grPLA, steelHand 3D printed, constructedMore "FRAGILITY"

Fragility – Noy Alon / Israel

FRAGILITYNoy AlonIsraelA brooch built from ready-made pins soldered together, covered in polymer and transformed into something unexpectedly delicate. Systematically eroded, the piece reveals a paradox: structural strength that appears light and fragile. The erosion...

Fragility – Jeannette Knigge / Netherlands

FRAGILITYJeannette KniggeNetherlandsWithin the theme of Performing Identity, I have created various body-related objects; each object highlights a different part of our daily performance. Fragility is often perceived as weakness, yet in my work it becomes a space of...

Fragility – Pilar Viedma / Spain

FRAGILITYPilar ViedmaSpainIn my work, I explore different ways of applying color to metal with the aim of demonstrating that, in artistic jewelry, what matters is not the material itself, but its ability to communicate with it. A few years ago, I began using the...

Fragility – Youjin Um / South Korea

FRAGILITYYoujin UmSouth KoreaIn the daily life of the beginning and the repetition, I take the center of my mind and begin to walk on the map I drew. A lot of steps that sometimes went straight along the mind map to work or recharge, and then back again. Create...

Fragility – Anne Blok / Netherlands

FRAGILITYAnne BlokNetherlandsThe fragile threads of memory Life is fragile; it is temporary and precious. This brooch tells the story of a young life, life in the bud and the rose that never reached full bloom. The brooch tells the story of a thirteen year-old girl....

Fragility – Henrike Altes / Germany

FRAGILITYHenrike AltesGermanyBreathing Lungs. Such a strong organ, with such fragile structures. In some situations, I find it difficult to breathe or my breathing is very fast. It is directly linked to how I feel. In the same way, a deep breath can calm me down....

Fragility – Victoria Kurasheva / Norway

FRAGILITYVictoria KurashevaNorway This piece reflects the fragility of infancy and the silent fear of motherhood. A transparent infant, cast in glass-like acrylic and filled halfway with blood, connected to the woman’s hand by an invisible bond. The blood is not the...