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American-Israeli Artist Opens NY Modern Art Exhibit Using Traditional Jewish Themes

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“Kaddish Zuger”, Goldman’s current favorite work on display at the Laurie Tisch Gallery, refers to the Yiddish term of endearment for a child saying the mourner’s prayer for their parent.
“Kaddish Zuger”, Goldman’s current favorite work on display at the Laurie Tisch Gallery, refers to the Yiddish term of endearment for a child saying the mourner’s prayer for their parent.
Integrating traditional Jewish themes with modern artistic techniques, American Israeli artist, Ken Goldman, celebrated the opening of a new exhibit, “Off Label – Ceremonial Objects Imagined”, at the Laurie Tisch Gallery at the JCC Manhattan.

Goldman uses a wide variety of materials and techniques, including performance art, photography, wood and stone carving, mixed media and printmaking and video in the hope of inspiring the breakdown of stereotypes within the Jewish community and provides an opportunity for dialogue.

“I try and make peace with all of the conflicts and challenges of living a modern life within the confines of a 2000 year old tradition,” he said. Creating and recreating objects for Jewish rituals and making them relevant for my life is an ongoing passion.”

Born and educated in New York where he studied at Brooklyn College before going on to the Pratt Institute for his Master’s Degree in Industrial Design, Goldman moved to live on kibbutz Shluchot in Israel in 1985, giving his design process a fresh start. “Living there for so many years off the beaten art path and in a real do-it-yourself environment has pushed me to be very self-sufficient and to constantly explore new techniques and materials,” Goldman added. “That’s not to say that I don’t keep up with my kibbutz responsibilities, of course.”

Goldman’s creations take the well-known Jewish traditions and ritual objects and looks at them in a completely new light. “I definitely use humor in some of my works as a way to draw the viewer in and break the ice,” he said. “It allows them to ask questions and think about the idea in a new way. “

Some of the works on display include “Stamped,” in which the artist created the strong the imprint of tefillin lines typically found on the arm after prayer embossed with the biblical verse found inside, ‘And it shall be for a sign’.   His piece, “Kaddish Stones,” consists of 79 small round stones, each one etched with a single word of the mourner’s prayer placed by visitors throughout Eastern Europe on memorial visits creating a never-ending kaddish prayer. “Return in Peace,” is a very popular work where the artist carved words from the Wayfarer’s Prayer into the army boots of his son, to physically bless the footsteps of his journey with each step he takes.

Also included in the exhibit is Goldman’s current favorite piece, “Kaddish Zuger” referring to the Yiddish term of endearment for a child saying the mourner’s prayer for their parent. “Although perhaps a bit painful to look at and even more painful to make, I think this performance art really expresses the personal kaddish and mourning experience in a unique way,” Goldman commented.

What’s next for the Jewish artist? Goldman is currently working on a large scale series of pen and ink drawings of small sections of the knots that make up the tzizit, becoming almost unrecognizable as the holy garb itself and become much more about being bound and restricted in a tradition.

The critically acclaimed exhibit, which will be on display through July 2014, also features works by Dov Abramson and is curated by Tobi Kahn. More of Goldman’s work can be seen at www.kengoldmanart.com

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