I sat down with Israeli-based artist Lilac Madar to learn about her recent project, Old Glory, developed during her time in SVACE’s Fine Arts Contemporary Practices Residency Program this past summer.

Rachel Gisela Cohen (RC): Can you tell us a little about your artistic practice?

Lilac Madar (LM): I work mainly with found objects. I collect knickknacks, plastic toys, flea market findings, old photographs and organic things. My reference is to the mass-produced, reproduced, recognizable, and mass culture imagery.

RC: Can you tell us about your experience and recent time attending SVA's Fine Arts Residency program this past summer?

LM: This whole experience, from beginning to end, had good vibes. I loved the location, the team, the facility, the staff, the students and the residents. Everybody was nice and welcoming. I felt at home.

Coming from Tel Aviv, we have a complex relationship with America. It has a huge effect on our politics, society, culture and history. For my project, I originally planned to build an American dream temple—one of a series of shrines I had been working on previously. I went to a dollar store in Chelsea and asked for a flag. The guy looked at me as if I had requested something obscene. It was just after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and to expand gun rights. Soon my American memorabilia altar I had planned to create became more of a "Wailing Wall,” a place for mourning and a symbol of dark times.

I kept digging. I began asking people if they were proud to be Americans and if they would display the American flag in their homes. So many emotions arose over this issue, and it was clear that my focus needed to shift to the flag. I had to abandon my assemblage and reinvent the American Dream Temple.

My works, especially the shrines, are known for being detailed and intricate. It was a challenge for me to edit and simplify. This whole process was possible thanks to the intelligence, wisdom and sensitivity of the faculty members who visited me daily at my studio and encouraged me to push my boundaries, step out of my comfort zone, and think bigger and better.

RC: How did your work transform during your time in the residency program?

LM: In light of all I told you about my practice, the whole SVA experience concluded in a big, constructed, minimalist (or reductive), participatory and performative work of art. Somehow it was totally different than what I have done before, and at the same time, true to my aesthetics and essence. It was an incredible journey for me.

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