Israeli-born American artist Ghiora Aharoni re-mixes time, science, and multiple religions into dazzlingly complex glass assemblages. Seven sculptures from “The Genesis Series” take center stage along with other glass works in an exhibition titled “Inception” on view at Sundaram Tagore Gallery in New York this month.
Ghiora Aharoni: Inception, installation at Sundaram Tagore Gallery
Aharoni began the “The Genesis Series” in 2008, incorporating iconography and text referencing scientific, spiritual, mystical, and cultural beliefs surrounding creation narratives. The works contain antique glass lab equipment dating from the 1920s-1970s, bird skeletons, miniature trees, and an expansive variety of religious artifacts. In this brief video interview produced by Joods Cultureel Kwartier, Aharoni points out several specific elements, including Torah finials and Muslim ceremonial objects. The glass is etched with the entire first chapters of Genesis.
The Genesis Series – Day I B, 2021
The Genesis Series – Day I B, 2021 (detail)
The Genesis Series – Day III B, 2021
The Genesis Series – Day II B, 2021 (detail)
Equal parts beautiful and jarring, each sculpture feels like a time machine: futuristic, ancient, and unbelievable. Biblical scholars may be additionally confused: Aharoni explains that each sculpture was first constructed to hold only items that represented that specific day of the story (note that each work is titled after the “day”), but upon the completion of the 7th day sculpture, he mixed up the elements across the works to “challenge the linear story of creation.”
The Genesis Series – Day IV B, 2021 (detail)
The Genesis Series – Day V B, 2021 (detail)
The Genesis Series – Day VI B, 2021
The Genesis Series – Day VII B, 2022
Best of all, this collision of science and multiple religions doesn’t feel like a conflict to be solved, but a joyful and curious celebration of humanity and wonder. Or, in the words of Aharoni: “The idea that we are all connected, that the fabric of humanity is inherently interwoven.”
Ghiora Aharoni: Inception, installation at Sundaram Tagore Gallery
Ghiora Aharoni: Inception, installation at Sundaram Tagore Gallery
Check out more amazing images of these and additional series on Sundaram Tagore Gallery’s website now, and visit Ghiora Aharoni’s Inception in person if you can, on view through April 30th. It’s a surprising discovery with every step.
What: Ghiora Aharoni: Inception
Where: Sundaram Tagore Gallery, 542 W 26th St, New York, NY
When: March 31 – April 30, 2022
All images courtesy of the artist and Sundraram Tagore Gallery.
David Behringer visits over 200 galleries every month to uncover and share the most exciting contemporary art in New York today. Subscribe to his exclusive weekly newsletter at www.thetwopercent.com and learn about his private gallery tours. And be sure to check out his YouTube.
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