Artist Statement

My work centers around the human experience and is influenced by the experiences of childhood, immigration, and familial relationships. Growing up with a tattered family history has created chaos inside of me that I can only resolve through my practice. 

 As the only child of Holocaust survivors, I am recovering and reconstructing the lost memories of my family. I explore this process by layering paper, building up textures of fabric with glue and paint, and taking it away, similar to how my mother, a seamstress, was always mending holes and blending materials with old clothes. As I complete the works, I reconstruct the narrative of my family's past in hopes of healing myself and my ancestors.

My art-making began with building sculptures from clay. I immediately had ideas for larger pieces beyond the technique of ceramics, so I experimented with other materials, delving into mixed-media sculptures and paintings. I usually work on several pieces simultaneously, creating a dialogue between the different works and gleaning inspiration from the process.

About

Malka Nedivi is a multi-disciplinary artist living and working in Los Angeles. She was born in Rehovot, Israel, in 1952, an only child to parents who survived the Holocaust and emigrated from Poland. Studying Theater and Literature at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, she directed plays and taught theater. In 1980, she moved to Los Angeles, CA, with her husband and son to study film at UCLA. She worked as an Assistant Film Editor from 1987-1992.

Malka has had successful solo exhibitions at BOA Art Gallery and the National Council of Jewish Women in Los Angeles. In 2013 she was featured in the LA Art Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. At the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Malka was chosen as one of the top ten Southern California Contemporary Artists from Israel. Recently, Malka has had write-ups in several publications such as the Beverly Press, Jewish Journal, Diversions LA, Filling the Negative Space, Tribe Journal, and Trebuchet Magazine. In recent years, she has been gleaning inspiration from her trips through Europe to revisit her theatre roots and develop a one-woman autobiographical performance.