Lali Fruheling's studio, 2018, photo: Maya Bamberger
Maya Bamberger: It turns out your studio is inside a small factory owned by your father...
Lali Fruheling: Yes. And it’s my favorite studio ever. It took me a while to let go of the idea of having a studio in Tel Aviv. The first studio I moved into outside of the city was a warehouse in a small village, named Hagor. Which was really tough though very effective. This ugly space actually led to a surprising number of
MB: And what is your father's factory producing?
LF: Driving systems for disabled people. So basically I have an entire factory working underneath me – full of machines and equipment I can use to process any material I want. Too bad I have such deep sympathy to low tech.
Lali Fruheling's studio, 2018, photo: Maya Bamberger
MB: What does your work routine here look like?
LF: I'm here twice or three times a week. And when I'm not here, I have a small "emergency studio" at home. Before I had
MB: What does it mean for you to have a studio?
Lali Fruheling's studio, 2018, photo: Maya Bamberger
LF: If I skip going to the studio for a while I become intolerable, anxious, agitated, a terrible nuisance. The studio neutralizes a constant noise I have in my brain.
Lali Fruheling's studio, 2018, photo: Maya Bamberger
MB: Which techniques are you using these days?
LF: It seems like I can't paint anymore, which is sad. But actually, every once in a while I suddenly get an urge to make this realistic, old-school, heavy drawing. When you think about it, drawing is really my home base. It describes everything I make. It's always about drawing, whether I'm asking myself how I can make light move, or color
Lali Fruheling's studio, 2018, photo: Maya Bamberger
MB: Sounds like meditating to me, right?
LF: That too. But the purpose is not only to create mental or energetic peace. I just
These days, I am mesmerized by strings. When I work on a string installation I look completely out of my mind. On the one hand, the movement has a Jackson Pollock-like style, and on the other, it looks like I'm stretching a skeleton. I have recently discovered that I also do some kind of twerking. It's quite a wacky ritual.
Then, there's the paper works, which are so boring to make that I have to have some trash TV serials playing in the background.
Lali Fruheling's studio, 2018, photo: Maya Bamberger
MB: What is the oldest artwork you have
Lali Fruheling's studio, 2018, photo: Maya Bamberger
LF: The earliest one is "Hadad." Evetyhing else is
Lali Fruheling's studio, 2018, photo: Maya Bamberger
MB: And what is the most recent artwork?
LF: The room I am constructing for a show in September. I want it to be very chaotic and shattered. So much so that you couldn't tell if this room is inhabited by a very messy person, or if something horrible has happened in it.
MB: What are your plans for after I leave here?
LF: Mmmmm… I'm going to go pick up my kids from school.
22.02.2018