The Koslowe Gallery presents “Mayim Chaiyim: A Watershed”

The Koslowe Gallery is pleased to announce the installation of our newly curated group exhibition, Mayim Chaiyim: A Watershed. The show explores the watery underpinnings of Judaism and how those teachings can be a guide for us in unstable times. The fragility of our living waters is on the minds of many artists in today’s climate-aware world, and Jewish artists have been earnest in their response. Jewish teaching and the role of water in renewal and repair pervades this exhibition. Each artist has been exploring different aspects of modern neglect on our waterways and each piece suggests the centrality of awareness, Tikkun Olam (repair), and renewal. Whether it is glaciers breaking apart (Tobi Kahn) or vessels as metaphors for what is full and empty in current times (Robin Atlas), the art reflects these considerations. The impermeable surface of manmade materials and their interaction with natural waters (Beth Haber) and Jonah’s role as a prophet of awareness and conversion (Yona Verwer) remind us of the importance of responding to these changes. The message of how plankton, as our most primary source of life and sustenance relies inexorably on water and is echoed in the Hebrew alphabet, the timeless building blocks of Torah (Cynthia Beth Rubin), reminds us of the essentialness of our aquifers. The simple act of hand-washing and mikveh, which wash away our trials and ready us for the sanctity of Shabbat (Susan Miller) reminds us of water’s role in our renewal. Artists Rachel Kanter and Robin Price, and more, use fiber art, mixed media, and book building to reveal to us the connection between Jewish thought and our waters.

Please keep your eye out for our virtual tour of the exhibition and the show’s installation in the gallery in February.