Demons, Fairies & Personas
Efrat Zehavi
The Hebrew word ‘פָּנִים’(paním), meaning ‘face’, and the word ׳פְּנִים׳ (pe’nim), meaning ‘inside’ sound almost the same. The linguistic similarity raises the question of the relationship between the outer appearance and the inner world. To what extent can the internal reality be reflected in the face?

When Efrat Zehavi makes a portrait she wants to show something of the models’ inner world, beyond their public persona. During the conversation with her models, a variety of emotions and expressions appears on their faces. The personal stories they tell reveal the ‘demons’ who possess or haunt them, and the ‘fairies’ who give them strength and comfort.

In Demons, Fairies & Personas Efrat Zehavi shows a selection of recent work; small modelled figurines and masks, a parade of costumed portraits, wax and ceramic sculptures, watercolours and drawings. All these characters, whether they are strangers she had met, family, friends or fantasy figures, are part of her polyphonic inner theater.

Artists: Efrat Zehavi