The Hebrew Union College hosts Mirta Kupferminc - "Wanderings"

Written by Allison Glazer Saturday, 21 January 2012 20:07

New York, NY - Mirta Kupferminc, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1955, is a highly acclaimed artist who employs Magic Realism to illustrate loss and dislocation. Focusing on a personal micro cosmos with the intensity of a miniaturist, she fills her paintings with surprising juxtapositions of color, light, and perspective. The artist’s Hungarian-born mother and Polish-born father emigrated as Holocaust survivors. There is a continuing reference in her work to their experiences of family loss, dislocation, and renewal. On view through 25 June, 2010 at The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

Her large scale works on paper are imbued with the hidden agenda often found in the works of South American writers such as Jorge Luis Borges. Symbolism, metaphor, and fantasy are incorporated to heighten themes of alienation and anxiety.

In an installation included in this exhibition, “Ser Testigo/To Be a Witness,” Kupferminc has mounted more than 300 hundred images of a young man shielding his eyes in an attitude of prayer. Other works refer to sudden loss and inexplicable disappearances - both during the Shoah and during the era of political repression and the disappeared in Argentina.

Her work demonstrates a virtuosity in the techniques of etching and engraving. She has exhibited internationally since 1977 including Madrid, Tokyo, Paris, Munich, Washington DC, Los Angeles and New York. Her work is included, amongst others, in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, China, the Wolfson Museum, and the Contemporary Art Collection of the Israel Museum. Ms. Kupferminc creates and produces bibliophile artist books which will be included in this exhibition.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue with essays by Jean Bloch Rosensaft and Laura Kruger.

HUC-JIR Museum General Information

Museum Hours

: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. /  Admission: Free. Photo ID Required.

Selected Sundays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; September 13, October 11, November 8, 22, December 13, January 10, 24, February 7, March 7, April 18, May 9

Tours/Information

: Contact Allison Glazer at 212.824.2293 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it    Visit : www.huc.edu/museum/ny