Mica Hadar

Building shadowboxes all starts with an image which can be inspired by: a picture, a word, an event, a poem, a person, a place, a book, a play, a song, a small object, or anything that might speak to me.

Once the image is in my mind, I look for the respective objects to assemble it, then I do so within the confines of a box. The boxes are collected separately from the objects. Often it is the look of a box that suggests the assemblage. Sometimes it’s the objects that choose the boxes in which the assemblage will take place. Often times the assemblage is planned, other times I just let it happen...randomly. Contemplating on Joseph Cornell’s shadowboxes unhinged my longing for their beauty, the harmony of his assemblages and the mystery of his objects. It all started in 2008 after I saw and exhibit of his shadowboxes at Art Basil. That impactful moment is everlasting, the magic of his work unleashed my desire to make my own.