Shoebox Projects is a self-directed residency program founded in 2016 by Kristine Schomaker where artists are given space and time to conceptualize and create new works. Bibi Davidson and Dwora Fried began their residency on September 25th. Their installation, Two Women, One Reality, will be open to the public starting with the Brewery Artwalk October 21 and 22.
Both artists grew up in the fifties in different parts of the world — one in Israel, the other in Austria — they both vividly remember being left alone as toddlers, watching their parents get ready for a night on the town feeling imprisoned in their cribs, crying; terrified by noises, shadows and ghosts and are using these memories as the point of departure for their collaboration.
Through ongoing discussions of these personal experiences Davidson and Fried have translated their memories into an installation that recreates their “fifties room” with a crib, ugly wallpaper and artifacts of the era. A video filmed by Dwora’s daughter Anjoum Agrama, evokes a visit to the darker places in their collective psyche—a kind of self portrait of the early days of the artist’s lives and surroundings, that evokes the idea that evil—real or imagined— is lurking around the corner.
Though these artists’ individual practices are quite different— Bibi Davidson is a painter whereas Dwora Fried makes mixed media sculptures and installations – there are overlaps in their subject matter and approaches which makes this and ideal opportunity for collaboration.
About the Artists
Bibi Davidson is an Israeli born, Los Angeles based artist whose illustrative-style works are allegorical representations of the chaotic and unsettling realities of her childhood. Her boldly colored narrative paintings are autobiographical and social commentary while simultaneously layered with elements of humor. They are captivating and purposefully quirky works that investigate personal and universal conflicts, as well as the chaos that defines our times. Through the process of painting, Davidson charms and calms her inner self.
Dwora Fried is a mixed media assemblage artist who creates both small tableaux in glass fronted wooden boxes and life-sized enterable installations. She grew up in post-war Vienna, where as a Jewish lesbian and child of Holocaust survivors she felt like an outsider and has parlayed these experiences into artworks that explore themes of danger, loss and secrecy. Recent works also comment on the current political climate and the immigrant experience in Los Angeles.
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