“Ever since I can remember I have loved drawing, sculpture,
embroidery or sewing. I studied art in a professional capacity but people are sometimes surprised to learn that this did not include jewelry making or silversmithing. Yet, I have always been drawn to jewelry as a form of expression and, given that I have stayed
involved in several fields of creativity at once, the area of collage came naturally to me. ‘Matchmaking’ materials is what I love to do: testing contrasts, colors and textures and how they interact
together.“
About the Artist
Ayala Bar takes an unexpected approach to the world of jewelry. When she first started in the 1980s, jewelry was mainly made of precious metals like gold and silver, but being an outsider, Ayala went a different route, straying away from the mainstream looks. Her designs incorporated unconventional materials: metals with fabrics, beads, plaster, wood and other miscellaneous findings.
Her inspiration has always been just the materials themselves, rather than the ideas that come thereafter. Another strong motive in her work is her cultural background. Ayala’s grandmother emigrated from Afghanistan to Israel in the 1920s, being a huge factor in her line of jewelry. She even visited a museum featuring Afghanistan jewels, many of which mirrored some of her designs. She began by making miniature mosaics of various materials, even as abstract as autumn leaves. She then began combining these materials to create her jewelry, and she introduces new materials as a way to express herself.
