Ein Sof Gallery presents The Matters, an exhibition of paintings, watercolours, and drawings by Michael Ajerman. The exhibition focuses on selected portraits of the artist’s grandmother, Sarah Pass and recent oil paintings.
Private View: Tuesday April 2nd 6:00 - 8.30 PM RSVP HERE
Exhibition continues 03 April 2024 - 02 May 2024
April 7th, Sunday, 1 - 5 PM - artist & rabbi talk at 2 PM RSVP HERE
April 19th Friday 1 - 5 PM
April 26th Friday 1 - 5 PM
May 2nd Thursday 6 - 830 PM Closing Event RSVP HERE
Additional opening times by RSVP
Chabad Islington Jewish Community Centre & Ein Sof Gallery
1-3 Elliott’s Place
London, N1 8HX
Ein Sof Gallery presents The Matters, an exhibition of paintings, watercolours, and drawings by Michael Ajerman. The exhibition focuses on selected portraits of the artist’s grandmother, Sarah Pass and recent oil paintings. Born in a small town close to Płońsk, Poland to Jewish parents. Her mother owned a convenience store, while her father worked in deliveries. Sarah would find herself imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp for all of her teen years. After liberation she would briefly live in Germany where she met Chaim Pass, whom she would marry. Then immigrating to the United States. Sarah lived to the age of 95, passing away during the Covid Pandemic.
Over the many sittings working from direct observation with Sarah, Ajerman explored and searched for what portraiture could be for him. Leading to surprising results in graphite pencil, colour pencil, and watercolor. As a subject, Sarah’s face and physique was the voltage to catch a trace of an intense and complex presence along with deep emotional care. Most importantly the work addresses the universal slippery passing of time. Additionally time’s damage to things themselves is present, as some of these works were altered by the flood waters of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Accompanied with recent works which explore satellite themes. One based on a painting owned by Ajerman’s second grandmother, Helen Schindler. The painting shows a mysterious man holding a sidur (prayer book), deep in thought while smoking a cigarette. This paintings has been a presence in his life since adolescence. Ajerman has germinated his own version reformed through a rabbit hole of ideas and references. His version relocates the protagonist to the vast space of the Coney Island boardwalk, populated by motley characters and cultures.
Other works incorporate the animal motif, an important part of Ajerman’s work over the past few years as a symbol of energy. This show hopes to celebrate all cultures showing what is shared by all; family, sensation, feelings, and faces.
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Michael Ajerman was born in New York. As a teenager he took part in the Cooper Union Outreach Program, afterwards studying at the Corcoran School of Art, the New York Studio School and the Yale Summer School at Norfolk. In 2003, he completed his Masters Degree at the Slade School of Art, receiving the British Institute Award from the Royal Academy the same year.
He has consistently exhibited internationally in solo and group shows. His work is currently shown in the Courtauld Institute’s East Wing V1 in London and at the Bunker Art Space in Miami, Florida. A solo exhibitions at HemingwayArt, Oxford is planned for later this year.
He is a contributor to Garageland Magazine, where he has written articles on cinema, music, literature and painting. In 2018, he was awarded UCLA’s Kitaj Research Fellowship, where his investigation culminated in the lecture From Tipperary to Westwood, recently presented at the Courtauld Institute in 2023.
Select press includes The New York Times, Flash Art, The Guardian, The Sun, Arte, Garageland, Bay Area Reporter and the Royal Academy Magazine. His work is found in international collections including the Beth DeWoody Collection and the Wendy Fisher Collection. He lives and works in London
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