Artist Spotlight

Zammy Migdal

Name:  Zammy Migdal

City:  Coconut Grove

Birthplace:  Tel Aviv, Israel

Artistic Medium:  Sculpture.  I work in metal.

How did you get started?
I love all types of art: music, theatre, the visual arts.  I was always inventive and wondered if I could produce my own artwork. I have always been particularly attracted to 3-dimensional objects.

For many years I was in the hotel business. My business partner Marc Levin and I restored the Indian Creek Hotel, an Art Deco jewel on Miami Beach. Itself, was like a piece of art.

September 11 was a turning point for me. Business dropped dramatically and it gave me time to pursue my interest in sculpture. I took courses in metal with Carolina Sardi and Daniel Fiorda at the Lincoln Road's Art Center South Florida. I became a full-time sculptor in 2005 when Marc and I sold the hotel. As they say, the rest is history.

What inspires your work?
I'm inspired by so many things, especially the challenge to give a piece of " junk" a second life, new meaning and purpose. I'm inspired by my love of our lush vegetation in the Grove.  I wondered what plants and trees might be translated into metal. What emerged was an abstract series inspired by the plants in my garden, titled "Tropical Metal", my very first series.  Next I created "Square Chain". After that came  "Construction Series", inspired by the enormous amount of construction in our midst. A visit to Morocco inspired the curled form of my "Levitation" series.

How does Miami/South Florida influence your work?
I'm inspired by my surroundings, both the natural environment, and the people.  I love the exoticness of Miami: the flowers, the trees, our cultural diversity, and its fast moving pace.

How would you describe your work?
Abstract elements in which space is as important as the metal itself. The metal element and the space together create a dialogue that is essential to one's experience of the piece.

What has been the most unusual reaction to your work from the public?
While many artists repeat the same theme throughout most of their work, the public is always surprised that I continue to evolve and create new shapes in metal, into totally new forms.

What would you like to achieve as an artist?
Express my inner peace.

Upcoming shows:
I have just completed a commission by Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest.  I was asked to create a piece of art for the courtyard, set between their new sanctuary and the school. What I created was a piece that would name everyone who has passed, those who are yet to come, as well as to serve as a touchstone to remember those who perished during the Holocaust. The piece is called "Zechor"  which means Remember. As Jews, we are commanded to remember.  It is incumbent upon each of one us to celebrate the present and the future of Israel, the indomitable Jewish spirit and the entire Jewish community spread out to all four corners of the world. L’Chaim-We are also commanded to live.

SOFA (Sculpture, Object, Functional Art) - the international exposition of sculpture objects and functional art, Chicago, November 1-4, 2008

Where is your work available?
DOT 51 Gallery, Wynwood
Admar Fine Arts, Merrick Park
My website, www.zammymigdal.com
Zammy Migdal Studio, by appointment, 305-332-9667

If you are an artist and would like to be a part of Artist Spotlight, contact Mary Damiano at StarrWriter2000@aol.com