|
April 4, 2008
Heart and soul of creation
Linda Frimer's latest exhibit explores the becoming of the world.
BAILA LAZARUS
Walking into the Zack Gallery, it is clear that Linda Frimer's new exhibit, The Return, is a step out of the ordinary for her.
Still present are the vivid colors and swooping brush strokes that appear in many of her previous works; but gone are the multimedia and layers of imagery that characterized previous exhibits, such as Kindling the Light and Homage.
In many ways, the artwork in this exhibit is less complex, more pure and more accessible.
The focus in this project is the creation of the world and kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), but it is as much about the creation of Frimer's own self as it is about the physical world.
"It was coming from a stream of consciousness from inside myself," Frimer explained during an interview at the gallery. "I looked at the beginning of creation, from the infinite to the finite."
At the opening of the exhibit, Rabbi Yitzchak Wineberg addressed the attendees with a talk on creation, which turned out to inspire Frimer in ways she hadn't expected.
"Rabbi Wineberg said I've painted my soul and touched the infinite. That's what I was trying to reach, to reach inside my soul. So for him to say that, really touched me."
The metaphor of the creation story that Frimer explores in this show is of the kabbalistic sacred vessel that shatters in space, out of which the world comes into being. The broken fragments need to be joined, returned to wholeness, so many of the paintings show small, colored brush strokes melding together.
Within this imagery, Frimer includes her favorite symbol – the dove.
"I've been drawing doves ever since I was a little girl," said Frimer. "It represents upward, forward movement."
In "Becoming," for example, she portrays the becoming of the world and the birth of the dove, which, for her, signifies potential. The inverted triangles are heaven and earth meeting, with the four mystical worlds creating our own world and creating the dove.
In "Mikvah – Purification," the doves seemed to come out of the canvas, Frimer said. "It was a magical piece that painted itself. I was playing with colors and heaven on Earth, and it formed a funnel. I looked at the painting and the birds were already there, so I brought them out.
And in "Singing the Moon," the birds are surrounding the moon. "It's an ode to the moon and its relationship to water," she said, explaining the blue tone of the painting. The painting itself looks like the moon's reflection on water.
Also reflected in much of the artwork is Linda's experience of light, which radiates out of several of the canvases, such as "Conduite for the Symphony of Creation" and "Reunite Them, Return the Princess to Her King." (The title of the latter was inspired by a verse in the song "Warrior" by Chassidic reggae singer Matisyahu.)
"It's so important as you get older to write the story of your life," said Frimer of her use of white and light in her artwork. "I remember being small, looking up and seeing big snowdrifts, so everything was white. I've always tried to express in my art the importance of light."
As bright and illuminated as much of the artwork is, there is an underlying solemn theme to much of the work that is born from the subject matter itself. Because the world is created out of a shattering, there is constantly the need to repair it, as reflected in the Jewish responsibility of tikkun olam (repair of the world).
Explained Frimer, "I always feel how important it is to be present to our own existence as part of the life on our planet, being present to our sacred Earth. With the moment of beginning, there's longing, and we're all part of the same quest."
The Return runs until April 6 at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver. Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.; Friday until 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. The gallery is closed Saturday. For more information, call 604-257-5111, ext. 244.
Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, photographer and illustrator living in Vancouver. Her work can be seen at www.orchiddesigns.net.
^TOP
|
