UKuKula
Berkley, USA


The figures in KuKula's paintings wear their heartaches on their sleeves. They are delicate but resilient dolls buffeted by the crosswinds of the real world. KuKula herself was born in a small town in Israel and later studied illustration and design in Tel Aviv, graduating in 2003. The small town environment of her childhood fostered a fantasy life rooted in her exposure both to popular culture and to her elderly neighbor friends, many of whom were holocaust survivors. Her paintings are thus infused with a tension between playfulness and mourning. KuKula draws her aesthetic inspiration from a variety of sources, including children's illustrations such as Holly Hobby and the Care Bears, pin-up girl art, and German bisque dolls. In 2004 she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is currently based.