by Gabriela Moraru
Filmmaker, curator

And thou hast changed forces and won, wrote Abraham Abulafia, a visionary and a mystic, the most important figure in the prophetic Kabbalah. Aviva Shemer, an accomplished painter, sculptor and installation artist, with deep roots in the Judaic tradition, pays homage to Abulafia. She uses this line as the title of one of her paintings in the series Tikun, presented in this book. The series continues the dialogue between matter and spirit and allows us to be transported to that unique point where the visual expression is viewed through the mystical Jewish perspective. Tikun, the Hebrew word for repairing, healing and transforming is unveiled in a series of 16 paintings, and two installations, a body of work revealing the deeply rooted Jewish commandment of healing the world. But the artist knows that healing the world can only start with the healing of one's heart, and this awareness turns Aviva Shemer's arduous journey into an extraordinary revelation. The artist is not afraid to embrace the darkness and emerge into the light. Her paintings talk about an inward journey, torturous at times, through which her soul is redeemed by changing the forces and coming out victorious. At the end of this journey, the light is shining through, and her victory is our victory.

The Book installation has a distinct presence and invites the viewer to witness a unique process of discovery and introspection. Aviva Shemer dedicates Carpenter to the memory of her grandfather, whom she describes as a carpenter, a cantor and a righteous man. The word also brings about another layer of significance and reveals the word Integrity. Father is based on a book on Hebrew numerology, gematria, written by her father. Aviva's book, like that of her Father, equals song to prayer. Both sculptures establish the link between the artist and her ancestors and her deeply rooted beliefs. With Mother she shows us the meaning of Truth, Right and Beauty. Joy relates to Thought and Growth, and the shining leaves of the book turn into soaring wings. A bird flying towards unbound imagination.

The more recent installation Letters is both a prayer to make this world a better place and a reminder that this is our mission in life. The Letters were made during the war in Lebanon, in the summer of 2006, when the artist was confined to a dark room and rockets were flying over Haifa, her natal city. Drawing from the Kabbalah, Aviva sees the Letters as tools of creation. Suspended in mid air, they look like music notes, but what we hear is not the song of joy. It is the sound of death. The message is clear. We all have the obligation to repair, transform and heal , to obey the commandment of Tikun, to heal ourselves and heal the world.