A new solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed artist Steve Marcus, titled “Through The Hat: The Art of Steve Marcus,” is opening at
The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, 301 Washington Ave. in Miami Beach.
Steve Marcus has been a consistent trailblazer in both mainstream and underground cultures. The exhibition is accompanied by photos of the artist at work by legendary photographer Sid Kaplan (of “Vanishing New York” fame). The exhibition opens Mar. 6, 7-9 p.m., and runs through May 21.
“Through The Hat” includes more than 26 wood-carved sculptures and Jewish ritual objects, more than a dozen hand-drawn works, and custom synagogue furniture.
Marcus seamlessly weaves his Proustian childhood memories of the culinary tastes of Jewish New York with his personal journey and passion for his own roots and culture.
In his book he asks, “Did I get so involved in something else that I missed the disappearance of a city that was my foundation and helped mold my Jewish identity? I would come home and make artwork inspired from studying the Mishna, Gemara, Chumash, and wonder about a vanishing community that melded with my distant memories.”
In “Through the Hat,” Marcus has created a folk/cartoon world that is the Kosher cousin of those created by artists Alexander Calder and Red Grooms. His beautifully crafted renditions of Jewish life in New York City celebrate a culture of orthodoxy and unorthodoxy in all their splendor.
Regarding this art show, Marcus states, “My current body of work expresses my own roots and culture and proudly contains Jewish values, experiences, and perspectives as a celebration of authenticity. The artwork is not just a creative declaration of my own identity and beliefs, but also created to inspire all people to celebrate and explore their own true identities. My work is the manifestation of a creative rebellion of expression that smashes falsehood and hatred. The quest for the truth will lead to oneness.”
Regarding art today, Steven says, “In the era of globalization, the ugliness of cultural appropriation has become rampant, as various outside cultures are now easily accessible with the assistance of the Internet and social media platforms. The digital age specter of colonialism, imperialism, and social Darwinism disseminates information and imagery at a dystopian pace. These digital platforms socially engineer the world’s population with homogenized source materials and value systems with extreme prejudice, and an unending flow of content feeds the world’s appetite for conflict and entertainment, offering a variety of consumer identities recognizable the world over.
“Consumers hijack distant cultures’ attitudes and style cues to mold themselves into the hipster approximations of cultures they have never experienced firsthand. This form of imitation is the stylistic manifestation of colonial imperialism, and is helping to pave a bland and blind path toward a global monoculture.
“The greatest existential threat to the Jewish people is the Jewish people themselves. The apologetic and sometimes dismissive attitude Jews have about being Jewish has left most Jewish artists and institutions struggling through a postmodern identity crisis. They’ve abandoned so much of their own intrinsic identity, cowering under the threats of the BDS movement, anti-Israel sentiment, and hipster ideology, and now live an unsustainable fantasy, creating art that begs for acceptance from their own tormentors.”
Marcus (aka smarcus) has received honors and awards from the American Society of Illustrators; has several works in the permanent collection of the Oakland Museum of Art in California, as well as in private art collections worldwide; and has collaborated with Allen Ginsberg, Ken Kesey, Timothy Leary, The Norman Mailer and Miguel Pinero Estates, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. His work has been featured in High Times Magazine and the Cannabis Cup, New York Times, MTV, The Tibetan Freedom Concerts, The Source, Conde Nast Publications, Esquire and posters for the world famous Fillmore in San Francisco.
The Jewish Museum of Florida (JMOF)-FIU’s first exhibition after renovations of their main gallery will be “Through The Hat:
The Art of Steve Marcus.” JMOF-FIU is the only museum dedicated to telling the story of more than 250 years of Florida’s Jewish history with a growing collection of more than 100,000 items.
The Jewish Museum of Florida, 301 Washington Ave. in Miami Beach; phone 305-672-5044, is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays and holidays.
