New Jewish identity works by Joel Silverstein at Abrazo Interno Gallery

TIMES OF ISRAEL
By Richard McBee
Bezalel by Joel Silverstein at Abrazo Interno Gallery | The Clemente
NEW YORK---My Metaphysical Romance maps Joel Silverstein’s wrestling with his identity as a contemporary American Jewish artist. In the fifteen recent large acrylic works shown he examines the notion of himself as the ‘New Jewish Artist’ distilled in a mix of heady late 20th century American culture and 2000 years of Jewish thought. (Because I share many of these ideas in my own artwork as well as Jewish Art in general, I will dwell extensively on Silverstein’s work. Apologies to Tine Kindermann.) What is an artist…or more specifically what is a Jewish artist? Ask most educated Jews who the first Jewish artist was and the biblical Bezalel will be the answer. [More]