The Untitled Magazine had the priveledge to have a guided tour of the stunning exhibit, “Open Your Eyes” by artist Roy Nachum at Joseph Nahmad Contemporary on West 14th street. The second exhibit by the 32 year old Isreali artist focused on the large scale paintings and an installation that explores vision and perception. Unlike artwork in museums and most galleries around the world, the artist actually wants the viewer to touch and feel the large scale canvases, and to explore the tactile nature of the works. There were three sections of the exhibit, Parallel Realities, Color Blind, Invisible Mirrors, and the installation dominating the center of the gallery, the Sea of Crowns. The Exhibit examaines how humans look at art and what the art experience might be like for the visually impaired. The artist worked with Lighthouse International, a non-profit group that works with the visually impaired to “offer new and innovative ways to help people overcome the challenges of vision loss and to enjoy productive, active and independent lives.” By incorporating braille poems into the works, a blind person can run their fingers over the canvas and read a poem that expresses the emotional component of the painting. Painting since he was 4 years old, the artist studied at the Academy of Art Bezalel in Israel and later in New York at The Copper Union.
Joseph Nahmad Contemporary, owned by 21 year old gallerist Joseph Nahmad, opened in November 2011 with the first solo show by Roy Nachum, titled “Blind”. The Nahmad family is renowned for having one of the largest collections of Impressionist and modern art in the world. Rather than go to college, the young gallerist trained by working at his brother’s gallery, Helly Nahmad Gallery, on Madison Avenue. Attendees at the opening of “Open Your Eyes” included Justin Timberlake, Sir Philip Green, and Russell Simmons.
– Indira Cesarine for The Untitled Magazine
