© Sivan Askayo
The Old City of Jaffa is home to an abundance of unconventional art galleries and among these is the Nirit Levav Packer Gallery. Specializing in working with found pieces and crafting them into true objets d'art, Nirit Levav Packer's original vision had simpler beginnings.
© Sivan Askayo
Her intial focus was geared towards a successful business in wedding dress design, but Packer became increasingly disinterested and found herself scouring for more materials to work, which eventually gave birth to the creativity that was living within her. Three months ago, she opened her gallery in what once was a horse stable in the Jaffa Port. Gallery goers, upon walking in are greeted with a juxtaposition of art created from industrial materials and a space that retains the authenticity and charm of the Old City.
© Sivan Askayo
Her works on display include her first venture into ceramics, her 'pregnant women' series, 'animals from within' series, and her 'unchained' series, which consists of dog structures made of bicycle chains, gears, and an array of mechanical parts.
© Sivan Askayo
“The inspiration, I think, it's coming from the dialogue with the materials, and its coming like in one second...from the soul,” says the enthusiastic sculptor. “I don't know where its coming from otherwise, but it's not something that I see. It's like something that's going on inside of me... I’m playing with the materials and I know what I want to make out of all of it.”
© Sivan Askayo
Narrowing her focus to working with found objects while digging into her roots, among the many art ventures displayed in the gallery, Packer has also created structures resembling dresses.
© Sivan Askayo
Using materials from burned out lightbulbs to scraps from old watches, she truly captures the meaning behind the term “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
© Sivan Askayo
The Nirit Levav Packer Art Gallery, 9 Beit Eshel, Old City, Jaffa
For more information: niritlevav.com