Concealed Faith
There is a history of hiding who you are. Before Constantine the Great, Christians were persecuted for their beliefs. They often used the symbol of a fish to signify Jesus because the Greek word for fish, Ichthys, is so close to the pronunciation for Jesus. This iconography continued into the Byzantine era. Similarly, Jews have concealed their faith for centuries by hiding symbols of their Judaism for fear of antisemitism. Crypto-Jews outwardly converted during the Inquisition but continued to practice their religion, disguising it ingeniously from the authorities. To this day, people are still masking who they are for fear of rejection.
As you look closer at my works on paper, you will see that there are bits of concealed Hebrew words peaking out and revealing themselves from their surrounding abstracted urban and natural environs. My artwork explores and reconciles feelings of discomfort within revealing that Judaism is the faith I have chosen. I hope that these works on paper will help everyone feel more comfortable proudly expressing who they really are.
If you would like to see more drawings, please contact me.