Sam Griffin: Trauma and Healing in Contemporary Israeli Art

This event is presented on Yom Ha’atzmaut in recognition of the mutual responsibility linking North American Jewry and the people of Israel.

Forged amidst the crisis of war, Israeli artist Sam Griffin’s paintings evoke his traumatic memories and the human capacity for resilience and healing. Join Griffin for a presentation of his landscapes, portraits, and biblical works, as he describes how creating art has enabled him to process his experiences in and around Gaza, the struggles of adjusting back to normal family life, and the Bible as a source of inspiration for hope and a peaceful future.

Born and raised in London, Griffin immigrated to Israel alone at the age of 20 and enlisted as a combat soldier in the IDF. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art from the Bezalel Academy of Art and has since devoted his professional career to painting with many group exhibitions and several solo shows in Israel.

His works are presented for the first time in the US in “Sam Griffin: Aftermath,” co-curated by Ram Ozeri and Jean Bloch Rosensaft and on view at Hebrew Union College’s Skirball Museum in Cincinnati through May 10.

Ozeri will place Griffin’s works within the larger context of how Israeli artists and Jewish artists around the world are responding to contemporary issues in the upcoming Jerusalem Biennale.

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