Michael Peretz · Artist & sculptor
The man who teaches cold metal to dance
58, married to Galia and father of Tal and Mor. From his studio in Gizo he has spent years developing a sculpting method of his own — giving new life to metal everyone else has thrown away.
Michael Peretz with a chopper from the series · Exhibition, 2026
01The story
It all began with objects nobody wanted anymore
An old colander. A bent fork. A faucet replaced in a renovation. Most people see a trash can. Michael Peretz sees a wheel, a foot, the joint of a hand about to rise.
Out of that way of seeing came the “Metal in Motion” method — a modern, inventive approach to sculpture in which striking metal figures are made from recycled materials and everyday household objects. Steel, copper, aluminum, iron and nickel, salvaged from kitchenware, plumbing fittings and building materials.
The idea that holds all the work together is the moment of motion — the second in which cold material comes alive. Lightness meets strength, and each piece tells a story while giving the metal a new life.
”
I don’t invent the shape. It is already there inside the object —
I only have to find it, and give it permission to move.
Michael Peretz
02The technique
How do you assemble a sculpture without a single fused joint?
It is the question every visitor to the gallery asks — usually after testing it with a finger. The answer is a carefully planned order of assembly: each part locks into the one before it, and the sculpture stabilizes itself.
Watch it happen
A film of the process in the studio
Selecting the material
Every item is chosen for a shape it already has. A colander is a wheel, a fork is a foot, a faucet is a joint. This stage is most of the work.
Bending and shaping
The metal takes on its motion cold — by bending, rolling and stretching. The material remembers the direction it was given, and that is where the sense of movement comes from.
Mechanical joining
Locks, threads, weaves and press-fits. Every joint is tested on its own — if one part shifts, the whole sculpture comes apart. There is no heat and no glue to cover a mistake.
Balance, base and finish
Finding the point of balance, choosing a base that carries the movement, and polishing until the metal gives off the light it needs.
03The materials
Where the metal comes from
Five kinds of metal, one source: objects that have finished their previous job.
01
Stainless steel
Kitchenware, colanders, spoons and forks
02
Copper
Pipes, electrical wire, plumbing fittings
03
Aluminum
Profiles, serving dishes, machine parts
04
Iron
Building materials, bolts, hinges and connectors
05
Nickel
Plating, fittings and tools
Recycling is not a slogan
Every piece is built from material that has already lived its first life. No raw metal is bought — there is searching, sorting and waiting until the right part turns up.
04Artistic background
Timeline
Today
Home gallery in Gizo
Open to visitors by appointment; direct sales, custom commissions and work with interior designers and architects.
22.09.2026
Feature in La'Isha magazine
“Sculpting with Kitchenware” — the art section, by Yael Gertel. On the method, on kitchenware that turns into sculpture, and on the studio in Gizo.
2025
Launch of the Less is More series
A minimalist series of sculptures — very few raw materials in each piece, maximum statement.
10.08.2026
Interview on “Potchim Yom”, Channel 13
A studio segment on the method and on how kitchenware becomes sculpture. The on-screen caption during the broadcast: “By bending and tying alone”.
August 2026
Hutzot Hayotzer Festival, Jerusalem
Taking part in Israel's largest arts and crafts fair, at the Sultan's Pool.
2026
Exhibition in Mateh Yehuda
A concentrated showing of the series — motorcycles, dancers and women — on a single table.
05Press & exhibitions
“By bending and tying alone”
We didn’t write that line — it ran in the on-screen caption on Channel 13 when Michael was a guest in the studio. Below it, clips from an exhibition where every piece stood on a single table.
“Potchim Yom”, Channel 13 · August 10, 2026
An excerpt from the studio interview
Exhibition in Mateh Yehuda · 2026
All the works on one table
Want to see it up close?
The home gallery in Gizo is open by appointment. Michael himself explains every piece.