Oil on canvas, 100 x 70 cm/ 39.4 x 27.6 in
Created by Ofir Hirsh under the P.D.Kailani identity in 2015.
The natural birth of my daughter was, by all means, the most powerful event I had ever witnessed. It was such a deep experience, as if a hand came out of my heart and pulled me down to the innermost part of earth.
My girlfriend had a wonderful pregnancy. Then, on the last day of the 40th week, we sat together in the evening, and finally agreed to name our upcoming baby girl Kailani, which means the sea and the sky, in Hawaiian.
A few hours later, my girlfriend felt that labor is about to begin. We understood that our baby liked and acknowledged her name and that she was ready to come out, so we made the last preparations. My girlfriend danced like a snake all night long. I danced with her and hugged her, but most of the night, I just watched her. She hypnotized herself, spiraling in an ancient movement. I had never seen this movement in her before, and we’d been together a very long time. I thought I knew each and every movement of her, but it felt that this ancient movement had been inside her long before we met. Maybe even long before she was born. When the morning came, she turned herself from a tribal dancer into a Ninja. Courageously and decisively, she brought into the world a wondrous creature, who immediately threw herself onto her breast and started sucking. When she finally let go, I took Kailani in my arms and she stared right at me. I told my girlfriend:”I see her. She is strong, wise, and highly spiritual.”
When I entered the studio a few days later, I was still riding the waves of extreme joy, and I wanted to tell this tiny wonder baby how much I love her. It was quite clear to me that colors can express these high levels of love, much better than words.
When I finished, I signed the work as “P.D. Kailani”, abbreviations of: Papa de Kailani, Spanish for The father of Kailani. Nothing seemed more gratifying at that moment than naming myself after her. That series documented the emotional development and the excitement I experienced following her birth, and it was inspired by her cuteness, beauty, crazy vibes, and by her ‘old soul’ wisdom.
