Art Review: ‘Back to Eden,’ at the Museum of Biblical Art

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Ken Johnson

Detail of "Neither Shall You Touch It" by Anonda Bell

NEW YORK---It’s one of the greatest stories ever told, the Bible’s tale of God, Adam, Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, as related in Genesis 2:4 to 3:24. Derived from Babylonian mythology, it circulated in Jewish oral tradition before being written down in the 10th century B.C. It’s both a strength and a weakness of the exhibition that it leaves you with many more questions than answers. What does Eden represent? A state of mind? A social utopia? An environmentalist dream? A memory of prenatal bliss? Union with the divine, whatever that might be? What would it take to get back to Eden? Perhaps art is a way to sneak back in — if only for occasional brief visits. [link]

“Back to Eden: Contemporary Artists Wander the Garden” continues through Sept. 28 at the Museum of Biblical Art, 1865 Broadway, at 61st Street; 212-408-1500, mobia.org.