Artists

In recent years Israel has become a center for contemporary unique potters. Their work is bold, different, and makes you think. Each piece is one of a kind and can take your imagination on a journey of patterns and vibes. No wonder so many art collectors are now buying pottery as part of their collection. Here are three of the most unique potters currently working in Israel.

Gur Inbar A graduate of the Bezalel Academy for Art and Design and former resident of the Benyamini Center of Contemporary Ceramics, Gur Inbar first studied at the feet of his great aunt. Dexterous and focused, she knitted patterns and garments with the attentive skill of an artisan. The shapes she conjured out of string, needle, and air influenced his young world—the land and culture on a kibbutz—and inspired a lifelong curiosity in the interplay between art and form and meaning.

Every object bears a story that can never be finally, permanently forgotten. The Samaritan lamps, intricate coffins, and coins of empires unearthed throughout his homeland captivate Gur’s mind and imagination: What was their creator’s intention, and how did they influence their old world and culture? Local archaeology and traditional crafts appear throughout his work in the figures, strokes, and colors that reach back to something original. Gur draws from ancient techniques and objects to bring new shapes into his craft and world. His work absorbs both the past and the habits, art, and frenetic energies of the contemporary reality before him.

Gur works primarily with porcelain and stoneware, and mostly on the wheel. He finds inspiration in everything and adopts new techniques and materials into his process. He lives and works in Tel Aviv.

Maiyan Ben Yona Maiyan Ben Yona was born in Israel and grew up in the Galilee in the northern part of the country, surrounded by nature’s green tranquility. Later in life, she moved to the desert in the south, a life of serenity surrounded by endless spaces. Today she lives in Jaffa and works in her studio in the south Tel Aviv industrial area.

In the beginning of her professional career, she discovered Moroccan ceramics.She traveled to Morocco, saw up close how the magic happens, and discovered how it’s made. Right there, she knew that this was what she wanted to specialize in.

After graduating from Bezalel Academy for Art and Design, Maiyan opened her studio in Tel Aviv. She specializes in porcelain work, creating both decorative and practical ceramicware. The products are hand-decorated with a range of patterns and designs inspired by different cultures; together they create a new language.

The colors and patterns are painted on a series of products characterized by clean and precise lines, blending in with each other and providing a stage for the colors and patterns. Together they create a collection of endless combinations and options.

Check out her website: maiyanceramic.com

Guy Jana Guy Jana is a ceramic artist based in Tel Aviv. He knew that ceramics was his calling more than 20 years ago, back in high school. He started to take pottery classes as a teenager and continued all the way to Bezalel Academy for Art and Design.

In his work, Guy explores the contemporary, collective, and subjective ideal of the beautiful and the fantastic. His works are characterized by a rough outer layer in a pattern of painting and engraving that will not be repeated. The works combine traditional techniques with a modern look, challenging the eye and the sense of touch with bright colors, rough textures, and a unique personal style.

Check out his website: guyjanaceramics.com