Hadassah-Brandeis Institute & the Kniznick Gallery present FP author Helène Aylon exhibit
THE HADASSAH-BRANDEIS INSTITUTE AND THE KNIZNICK GALLERY Present
Helène Aylon
Afterword: For the Children
Reception: March 21, 5-8 pm
(introduced by Aylon 5-5:30)
Open weekly, Monday-Friday 9 am to 5 pm
Afterword: For the Children closes June 16, 2017;
It travels to The Jerusalem Biennale on October 1, 2017
Waltham, MA—"Internationally-acclaimed Jewish feminist artist Helène Aylon presents her conclusion to The G-d Project: Nine Houses Without Women, her 20-year series highlighting the dismissal of women in Jewish traditions and text. In Afterword: For the Children, Aylon dedicates her finale in the series to the future generations, challenging all who regard The Ten Commandments not to shrug off a dark foreboding which emanates in her view, from the patriarchy - not from God.
The text of the Third Commandment holds future generations responsible for the sins of their fathers "to the third and fourth generation." The artist’s consistent examination of this text reveals a universal dilemma through its connection to contemporary policies that shape the world our children will inherit.
Helène Aylo is a multi-media, issue-oriented artist who studied with Ad Reinhardt at Brooklyn College (1960.) The Women’s Caucus for Art presented her with the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award. Aylon has written a memoir,hatever Is Contained Must Be Released: My Jewish Orthodox Girlhood, My Life As A Feminist Artist, published by the Feminist Press.
In the 70’s Aylon showed process paintings that allude to the body and the aspect of change. These were shown at Betty Parsons Gallery and White Columns “112 Workshop.” Three of these paintings also known as The Breakings have been acquired by SFMoMA. Aylon refers to this series as Bio-logical Feminism.
In the 80’s Aylon created an Earth Ambulance, driving it to military sites nationwide. The earth near these bases was “rescued” in pillow cases scripted with women's dreams and nightmares pertaining to nuclear war. It was brought to the mass rally for disarmament at the UN in 1982 before being shown at Creative Time at the end of the Cold War and was acquired by the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art. Aylon refers to this era as Eco-logical Feminism.
In the 90’s, Aylon sought to “rescue” God (“whatever God may be”) from patriarchal projections. The Warhol Museum borrowed The Liberation of G-D that had been acquired by the Jewish Museum. This began the G-D Project: Nine Houses Without Women that was shown at the Hammer Museum (LA) and the Contemporary Jewish Museum (SF.) Now in 2017, Afterword: For the Children, is the finale to The G-D Project: Nine Houses without Women. Aylon sees this as Theo-logical Feminism.
Aylon's exhibition Afterword: For the Children will travel to the Jerusalem Biennale 2017 opening on October 1st, 2017." - Susan Metrican, Curator
For more information, click here.
Kniznick Gallery, Brandeis University
515 South St., Waltham, MA
781-736-8102
http://www.brandeis.edu/hbi/residencies/artist.html[cts.vresp.com]