In the Image of... (towards a Trans Talmud), Laurence Myers Reese

MFA Thesis Exhibition

Donna Beam Gallery

March 4 – 11, 2022

Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

In the Image of… (towards a Trans Talmud) is a body of artwork that examines Jewish paradigms of gender through the transgender lens. Reading the archive diagonally, Reese looks at historical Jewish writings and place them in conversation with contemporary trans theology through site-specific installation. The exhibition incorporates projected and painted text in the gallery, enveloping viewers who must walk in and around the text on floors, walls, and sculptures. The exhibition title, In the Image of… comes from the biblical quote that humans are made in the divine image. Drawing from the history of Judaism’s iconoclastic tradition of art, this exhibition uses appropriated text to create a framework for queer Jewish existence. The texts are sourced from artists, writers, and rabbis who use a gendered lens to interrogate Judaism. The installation is accompanied by sound, video, and works on paper that elaborate on the lived experience of transgender Jew.