Forum Gallery, New York
|
Mark Podwal
- Additional Information -
New York - Mark Podwal's interest in Kabbalah, the mystical basis for much of modern Judaism, is reflected in the current exhibition at Forum Gallery, with subject matter exploring Jewish holidays, Jewish history, and Jewish folklore. Author Cynthia Ozick has given him the Hebrew name Baal Kav Emet, or Master of the True Line. As she explains in her essay Ink & Inkling, "[Podwal] joins metaphysics to physics: essence to presence; ideas to real objects. The Master of the True Line is also master of hidden meanings, of symbol and metaphor." Comprised of drawings, etchings, silkscreens, and watercolors, the exhibition will feature over 25 of the artist's recent works. Podwal is currently also working with Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Alan Miller (From Mao to Mozart) on House of Life: The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, which is slated to premier in February 2007; selected footage from the documentary will run in the exhibition at Forum Gallery.
September 21st through November 24th, 2006 the solo exhibition Visual Metaphors: The Art of Mark Podwal, will open at the Vratislavksy Palace in Prague, under the sponsorship of the U.S. Embassy and the Jewish Museum in Prague. Many of Podwal's award-winning drawings have been featured in The New York Times. The artist has worked extensively with author Elie Wiesel: they have published several books, and collaborated on the PBS television special A Passover Seder Presented by Elie Wiesel. Podwal has illustrated more than ten children's books of his own, including Jerusalem Sky and Golem: A Giant Made of Mud. He has illustrated for numerous authors including Harold Bloom, Francine Prose, and Francine Klagsbrun.
Recent one-person exhibitions have included Framed in Words: The Art of Mark Podwal at Yeshiva University Museum, New York; Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn; and the Skirball Museum, Los Angeles.
Podwal's work is collected internationally and featured in museum collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; The Jewish Museum, New York; The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; The Library of Congress, Washington, DC; The Museum of the City of New York; and The National Gallery in Prague, Czech Republic. Mark Podwal has exhibited at Forum Gallery since 1977.
Opening reception with the artist September 7th, 2006 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, at 745 Fifth Avenue at 57th Street, 4th Floor. A 32 page full-color catalogue accompanies the exhibition, featuring an essay by Cynthia Ozick. Gallery hours are 10 to 5:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday.
For additional information contact: Bonnie Meyers, Forum Gallery, New York
|