Artist Statement

A Canadian multidisciplinary artist— with ancestral roots from over ten generations of rabbis, human rights activists, artists and refugees— I reflect on mythology and history to address urgent contemporary issues.

My work encompasses encaustic paintings, interactive sculpture installations, video, music, mythology and workshops— inspiring people of diverse cultural backgrounds, ages, sexes and abilities to share stories, engage with art and consider how it relates to their lives.

I have exhibited and performed in art galleries, museums, theatres, concert venues and festivals throughout Asia, North America and Europe including: National Gallery of Canada; Yilan Performing Arts Center, Taiwan; Singapore International Arts Festival; Canadian Embassy in Tokyo; Edmonton Art Gallery; World Trade Centre(s), Taiwan and Barcelona; Royal Ontario Museum; Art Gallery of Ontario; Art Gallery of Algoma; Thunder Bay Art Gallery; Art Gallery of Peterborough; MacLaren Art Centre; Robert McLaughlin Gallery; Justina M Barnicke Gallery; Nuit Blanche Toronto; Museum of Northern History, Kirkland Lake; and Miles Nadal Gallery.

I have directed multi-lingual workshops for students, Indigenous people, newcomers and seniors across North America and Asia; including Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts; and TASIS school in Dorado, Puerto Rico. With artworks in collections across North America and Asia, I’ve won awards; private and public art commissions; grants (Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Trillium Foundation); and Artist Residency fellowships (Government of Japan, Japan Foundation).

Many of today’s most urgent social issues stem from toxic perspectives on women and people of colour. This has only increased since the global pandemic outbreak. When we care, we find the power to act, shift narratives and provoke change. My solution is to spark conversations; cultivate intercultural awareness; and inspire people to identify with art; see themselves and their concerns reflected in art, and find healing and understanding. “Who feels it, knows it.”

My work provides a forum for dialogue and reflection; for both personal and public performative exploration and meaningful self-expression; and for ongoing interaction and discussion between Artist and Public. Visitors of all ages, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds frequently give way to tears, hug me, thank me, and pour out stories of imprisonment, freedom; alienation, depression; isolation, community; desperation and hope. Visitors include themselves and their personal effects in my installations; and say they imagine themselves in my paintings.

I grew up prowling art galleries, museums and theatres. I turn to the Arts for perspectives on life’s most puzzling questions. The Arts are our thread, our compass, our barometer of all that makes us human. The experience of Art transports us, transforms, elevates and enables us to see ourselves and others more clearly.