CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM

02.13.13



Controlling the market for your art. Click Here.

***

Contemporary Jewish Museum: Kehinde Wiley - The World Stage, Israel.

Comment by AB: In his ongoing endeavor to explore contemporary actualizations of the diaspora, this time in Israel, Kehinde Wiley transits three urban environments, interacting with the people, young males in particular, and asks a number of them to become the subjects of this series of paintings. Both Arabs and Jews, he presents them in poses ranging from dignified to heroic, set against patterned backgrounds and symbols of Jewish ceremonial art. The elaborate black hand-carved frames are capped with decorative Jewish motifs, those above the portraits of Jews bearing the text of the Ten Commandments, and those above the portraits of Arabs bearing Rodney King's immortal mantra, "Can't we all get along?"

What makes this show way more than worthy? Wiley is doing his part-- through art-- to increase acceptance and understanding, decrease animosity, and hopefully bring us all just a wee bit closer together. Definitely worth a visit... and then some serious contemplation on what divides us and why.

***