Through the Hat includes more than 26 wood-carved sculptures and Jewish ritual objects, more than a baker’s dozen hand-drawn works of art on paper, and custom synagogue furniture. Steve Marcus seamlessly weaves his Proustian childhood memories of bagels and bialys, pickles and green tomatoes from the barrel, and paper-wrapped whitefish chubs with his personal journey and passion for his own roots and culture. 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, if seen through the prism of comics. His beautifully crafted renditions of Jewish life in New York City celebrate a culture of orthodoxy and unorthodoxy in all their splendor.
Marcus’ creative contributions have spanned multiple mediums and he has been a consistent trailblazer in both popular and underground cultures. The exhibition is accompanied by photos of the artist at work by legendary photographer Sid Kaplan (of “Vanishing New York” fame).
