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Sholem Asch House Museum Bat Yam, Israel September & October 2020 As resident artists, the D.N.A. transforms the home of Yiddish essayist and playwright Sholem Asch through various installations that explore darkness as a theme. Camera obscuras bring the outside world in, through ghostly projections that ask us all to consider our own interior projections as we move through the darkness of being. A particular portrait that hangs on the wall of Asch's house, a portrait of a woman with her eyes closed, has become a centerpiece for the D.N.A. residency. Why is this woman closing her eyes? Where has she gone in this darkened moment? She understands the uses of darkness, of closing one thing to open another. The D.N.A. has created a set of companion portraits, of nocturnal animals with closed eyes to join this woman on her journey. Additionally, the D.N.A. has presented another set of paintings that capture small corners of the house at dusk or in the stillness of nighttime. These are installed in the small drawers of Asch's writing cabinet, to be opened or closed away in an act that mirrors the openings and closings or our days, our nights, our eyes, and our memories. Words from Asch's writing, in the form of personal letters, books, and notes are displayed around the house, speaking to visitors about the elusive line between day and night, and the materiality of shadows and darkness. See our Gallery page for more artworks from this residency |
The Storyteller |
Portrait Companions: Badger With Eyes Closed Portrait Companions: Woman With Eyes Closed |
Nocturnal Details: Writing Cabinet |