Once

About the Item

'ONCE' is a unique ceiling light sculpture reminiscent of biomorphic forms. It is part of Ayala Serfaty's world-renowned ‘SOMA’ series (her "clouds"), a set of fascinating and intangible luminous sculptures named after the Greek word for the human body which involves an elaborate process of weaving and intertwining thinly blown glass. Work by the artist is notably included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. Each ‘SOMA’ piece is handmade out of thin blown glass rods that are individually flame-worked until they partially melt and join together. Little by little a cobweb-like structure appears, real glass lace that is then sprayed with a clear polymer that also filters the light. The glass veins, that always remain visible under the translucent skin of polymer, embody both the power and the fragility of human beings. ‘SOMA’ captures the viewers’ gaze, bringing them to experience nature in its spiritual and emotional dimensions. Clouds, crystals of sparkling snow, corals or lichens: the assertion of life forms and the simultaneous impossibility of deciding between one or the other compels her work to rise above its own materiality and produces an irresistible drive toward the sublime. For Ayala Serfaty does not sculpt nature, but rather gives form to the breath of life. Ayala Serfaty was born in Tel Aviv in 1962. She is a graduate in Fine Arts of the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, and of Middlesex Polytechnic in London. She lives and works in Tel Aviv. For over twenty years, she has exhibited in museums worldwide such as the London Design Museum, the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, just to name a few. Her work is included in the permanent collections of numerous museums in the US: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, the Museum of Arts and Design, NY, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Mint Museum, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Creator:
Ayala Serfaty (Artist)
Dimensions:
Height: 49.22 in (125 cm)Width: 41.34 in (105 cm)Depth: 17.72 in (45 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Glass
Place of Origin:
Israel
Period:
2010-
Date of Manufacture:
2022
Production Type:
New & Custom(One of a Kind)
Estimated Production Time:
Available Now
Condition:
Seller Location:
Paris, FR
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU988932388722
View Invoice

Shop All Ayala Serfaty

Ayala Serfaty

Ayala Serfaty is a contemporary artist and designer who marches to the beat of her own drum. Endeavoring to blur the line between practical furnishings and sculptural focal points, her armchairs, table lamps and wall lights are as dazzling in appearance as they are functional.

Ayala Serfaty was born in 1962 in Tel Aviv. She studied fine arts at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem before moving to London, where she attended Middlesex University. After graduation, she moved back to and chose to settle in Tel Aviv. She continued painting, sculpting and studying fine art until the 1990s when she also began designing furniture.

Ayala Serfaty told the Wall Street Journal that inspiration struck in 1996 while on a snorkeling vacation at the Red Sea. Upon returning to Tel Aviv, she established Aqua Creations Lighting and Furniture Atelier and took on the designer and creative director role. Today, she is also regularly collaborating with Maison Gerard in New York City.

Serfaty's unique and handcrafted approach to furniture design and production means that each piece is entirely one of a kind. Every sculptural creation draws from an eclectic well of ancient traditions and modern design sensibilities. It can take up to six months from concept to completion.

Serfaty is perhaps best known for her SOMA lighting collection. The ethereal lamps are made from woven glass, giving them the look of organically grown crystals in underwater caves. They have a fantastically tactile appeal, which is an attribute of many of her designs.

She has exhibited at the London Design Museum, the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art in Israel, and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. Her furniture has also been shown by Maison Gerard at the 2016 Winter Antiques Show and the 2021 Salon Art + Design. Her work is held in the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

On 1stDibs, find Ayala Serfaty seating, lighting, decorative objects and more.