Fragments of Memory

This weaving is one of several works I created for the exhibition “Kintsugi.”

A close friend of mine, the painter Rina Peled, was preparing an exhibition at Agripas 12 Gallery in Jerusalem. Years earlier, in one of our conversations, I shared with her how deeply I had been influenced by the Japanese art of ceramic restoration known as Kintsugi.

Kintsugi is far more than a technique—it is a philosophy. It teaches that when something breaks, it does not mark the end. The repair, traced with gold, makes it stronger, more resilient, and even more beautiful. This idea applies not only to objects, but also to people.

Rina was fascinated by this perspective, and it soon began to inspire her own paintings. Later, she invited me to join the exhibition as a guest artist. I created several new works especially for the show.

One of them, “Fragments of Memory,” combines weaving, photography, and collage. It reflects my personal journey—leaving behind a career as a computer engineer to become both an artist and a conservator. Those were challenging years, balancing study and work, often bringing my young son with me to weaving classes, while also teaching tapestry weaving myself.

In this piece, I wove together all those fragments with golden threads, echoing the essence of Kintsugi. The work was beautifully mounted with the help of frame maker David Rafaēl, an example of true collaboration.

The very meaning of the word Kintsugi—“to join with a golden line”—is at the heart of this creation.