Moran Kliger sat behind a crystal wall that faced the front yard of the residency. During the waking hours of the day, the colours that streamed through this window were gasping. She says she would lose herself wandering in her mind with the vivid colourful distraction of nature. Moran uses different techniques like engraving on painted paper, screen printing, digital drawing, burning plywood. But she enjoys drawing and being precise was her focus while in Dade County. 

How did you find your way to the residency?
I met Tami Katz-Freiman, when I was showing at Tel Aviv's Contemporary Art Fair 'Fresh Paint'. She was the chief curator at Haifa Museum in TelAviv but resides in Miami now. She liked my art and kept in touch. It was through her that I met Katherine & Dan and that's how I actually made it down to Fountainhead. 

Did you anticipate your project before arriving to the residency?
Generally I know what I want to do but then my works change and grow. My pieces are based on figurative drawing that portrays an evolving narrative environment. Mankind and animals meet in the twilight zone of the human element.

Tell me about your project at hand 'The Creatures'?
It's my new series. Works that depict some sort of hybrid creatures. I keep examining the boundaries between humans and animals. 

My works deal with social and cultural issues in a critical way. Questions of identity vs. loss of identity and elements of domestication vs. wide adaptation. I often focus on gender identification and disobeying the norms. I try to blur the boundaries between humans and animals to the point where they meet while creating an environment that is between the real and surreal. 

How did Miami influence your work?
Miami has inspired me with bright colors. The green hues are fascinating. I usually just work in black and white but being here colours have played into my art and changed my palette.
I kept my mind open, lived without distractions and been really free. 

Tell us more about the "Untitled Piece" from 2013.
In this piece the woman is holding a small injured animal in her mouth but it's not clear why, making you debate if she is trying to save it from danger or if she is the aggressor. I try to take the soft supple feminine body and present it in a dark context, giving the viewer an uncomfortable desire to ask questions about cultural conscience, social conventions and the reality we live in. I tend to use a labour of intensive and precise technique that creates a space that is rich on small details. Alluring the viewer I try to catch their attention and have them linger in front of the piece, provoking them to examine it closely. And sometimes, it seems very delicate when viewed from a distance but then when you get closer they are exposed to more of a volatile moment. I like to go back to our instincts – the ones that force us and make us survive. It’s about the beauty in pain and pleasure.

What's next?
I will be going back home and working on my next solo exhibition.

Check out Wyatt Gallery & Adia Millett as part of the fountainhead series.
photos & words by Marchi Marchell