Several of the late Ofra Zimbalista's life-like sculptures grace the Marcus Family Campus of BGU.
As part of a new film and tour of the artist’s works to mark one year since her passing, the Zimbalista family visited BGU on Sunday to unveil the sculptures the University purchased to beautify its main campus. Initiated by Prof. Haim Maor of the Department of the Arts, the project hopes to bring some 10 new statues to the Marcus Family Campus.
Born, raised, and educated in Israel, Ofra Zimbalista (1939-2014), is one of Israel’s leading artists. The human forms in her sculpture installations were created with a casting technique, using realistic figures, presented each time in a different combination, another context, and a new role. As she said about her own work: “a work begets a work.” Each project took the end result of a previous work and used her conclusions as the basis for moving forward.
The works at BGU are as follows:
The Choir:
• Symbolism: A group of five life-size figures are welcoming people at the main entrance of the Marcus Family Campus, in Beer Sheva. Two of figures are holding books and reading or singing from them. The other three are communicating in sign language, signs of love, home and the righteous path.
• Materials: Cast Bronze
Three Fanfare Trumpeters and a Climber:
• Symbolism: Three fanfare trumpeters are presented together, climbing up a building as a group, representing a group going in one chosen direction. On a nearby building, an individual chooses a different direction, climbing a new, unexplored peak, in spite of the difficulties.
• Materials: Aluminum Castings
Photo Gallery
