Gily Bella Sofia Ilan

״Respite״ - Group Exhibition, Kiryat Tivon, Israel | 2024

״This Is Mine from Home״ is a large-scale ceramic wall installation created for ״Respite״, a group exhibition held in Kiryat Tivon, Israel, in 2024.

The work was inspired by drawings made by my son when he was three and a half years old. Looking at his drawings, I found myself drawn to the freedom of his gestures, the spontaneity of his imagination, and the way he created without hesitation or concern for rules.

Children's drawings are not necessarily attempts to represent reality. They are expressions of play, discovery, and imagination. Their lines and forms develop intuitively, without the expectations and limitations that often accompany artistic training.

During the months following October 7, 2023, I found it difficult to return to my studio practice. I was absorbed in everyday family life, while my thoughts wandered toward distant places and imagined alternatives.

My son's drawings became a source of inspiration and a way back into making. They reminded me of the freedom to create without predetermined expectations, and of the possibility of approaching familiar materials with a renewed sense of curiosity.

For the past 13 years, clay has been my paintbrush.

In this work, I explored a new visual and material language, allowing myself to move beyond familiar techniques and the boundaries of my technical knowledge.

Through clay, I sought to reconnect with the freedom, spontaneity, and imagination of childhood - to create without predetermined rules or expectations.

The resulting installation brings together individual ceramic elements into a large-scale wall composition, exploring the relationship between drawing, material, memory, and space.

About the Exhibition

״Respite״ was a group exhibition that emerged from a year-long artistic program guided and curated by Noa Raz Melamed and Michal Shachnai.

Taking place during a period of war and uncertainty in Israel, the program brought together women artists for regular meetings, conversations, and creative exploration. It offered a space for reflection, mutual support, and artistic expression.

The exhibition presented works developed through this shared process, reflecting individual experiences and responses to the period.

Artwork Details

Title - This Is Mine from Home
Artist - Gily Bella Sofia Ilan
Year - 2024
Medium - White ceramic clay, hand-building
Dimensions - 240 × 120 cm
Firing temperature -1220°C
Exhibition - Respite, group exhibition
Venue -  The Gallery for Israeli Art at the Tivon Memorial Center, Israel
Curators - Noa Raz Melamed and Michal Shachnai
Photography - Shani Halevi