What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? I check my cellphone to see if I can snooze for five more minutes.
Tell me about a time you did the right thing and no one saw you do it. Saved water while showering. It was the right thing to do, but nobody saw me!
What do you worry about, and why? Complacency. It's a silent killer.
How do you define success and how do you measure up to your own definition? I believe that success is excelling at something which you are passionate about. There is no success unless you love and are loved by your inner circle of family and friends. Success is wisdom, success is knowing we are all flawed but loveable. Success is peace of mind, which comes from being the best you are capable of becoming. I am a work in progress, working towards being successful.
Would you rather be liked or respected? Respected.
What is the last book you read? Who moved my cheese? By Dr Spencer Johnson
If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?For the love of family, art and life.
What makes you angry? Injustice.
What was the biggest risk you ever took and what did you learn from it? Moving from New York back to Cape Town after 14 years. Why move when you are happy? Because you can be even happier!
In 2010, I was commissioned by the Mayor of Great Neck, New York to do the artwork for an outdoor mosaic mural. It was a great honor to have done an official public artwork in collaboration with mosaics artist Jane Du Rand.
If you were a brand, what would your motto be? One piece at a time
Quick questions with Galia Gluckman
Our guest columnist, Mike Abel of M&C Saatchi Abel, poses some quirky questions to cape town-based graphic and collage artist Galia Gluckman
Describe the colour yellow to somebody who is blind. Friendly, warm, honest, happy.
What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from your CV alone? My mother is my art mentor. Although she lives overseas, I regularly discuss my work with her through images. My mother has educated me and influenced my approach. She never gives criticism or advice, yet has been my ultimate teacher in life and work.
What are you known for? Being a Jewish artist who works with paint and paper.
Teach me something I don’t know in the next five minutes. Most people are good. Most people are loved by someone.
The money man
What inspires you? Inspiration comes from both personal happiness and pain. Inspiration comes from working. The repetitive cutting and pasting technique that my work requires, is a form of meditation and therefore inspiring. I am also inspired by the symmetry and asymmetry found in nature and architecture.
What’s the last thing you watched on TV and why did you choose to watch it? I don't watch TV, except for the news. The last thing I watch on our TV was a beautiful film called Lion. It moved me deeply.
What was the last gift you gave someone? A Pichulik necklace by South African designer Katherine-May Pichulik.
What do you think about when you’re alone in your car? I usually have too many “tabs” open in my head. Thoughts could range from: family members, friends, contemplating an artwork I am busy with and possibly reaffirming my attitude of gratitude.
You’re a new addition to the paint box. What colour would you be and why? I would be midnight blue, because I am a night owl at heart. Midnight blue goes well with most colours. It's a lover, not a fighter.
How do you handle criticism? I handle it better when it comes from people who know me well and who I love.
Playing with fire
What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? I check my cellphone to see if I can snooze for five more minutes.
Tell me about a time you did the right thing and no one saw you do it. Saved water while showering. It was the right thing to do, but nobody saw me!
What do you worry about, and why? Complacency. It's a silent killer.
How do you define success and how do you measure up to your own definition? I believe that success is excelling at something which you are passionate about. There is no success unless you love and are loved by your inner circle of family and friends. Success is wisdom, success is knowing we are all flawed but loveable. Success is peace of mind, which comes from being the best you are capable of becoming. I am a work in progress, working towards being successful.
Would you rather be liked or respected? Respected.
What is the last book you read? Who moved my cheese? By Dr Spencer Johnson
If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?For the love of family, art and life.
What makes you angry? Injustice.
What was the biggest risk you ever took and what did you learn from it? Moving from New York back to Cape Town after 14 years. Why move when you are happy? Because you can be even happier!
In 2010, I was commissioned by the Mayor of Great Neck, New York to do the artwork for an outdoor mosaic mural. It was a great honor to have done an official public artwork in collaboration with mosaics artist Jane Du Rand.
If you were a brand, what would your motto be? One piece at a time
Born in 1973, Galia Gluckman first qualified as a fashion designer, She lived in London and New York before returning to Cape Town in 2010. Gluckman has participated in a number of group and solo exhibitions both locally and internationally. Most recently a group exhibitions at Circa Gallery Johannesburg and at Circa London as well as upcoming presentations at the Cape Town Art Fair with the Everard Read Gallery in 2017.